PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter he has received from Mr. Martin Cadman, dated 4 February.

Tony Blair: I have asked a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister to reply to Mr. Cadman.

Correspondence

Don Foster: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) faxes, (b) letters and (c) e-mails he has received on average each month in the last five years.

Tony Blair: The information is not available in the manner requested. The number of letters and cards I receive varies significantly from week to week. I receive about 500,000 items of post per year, and my office works hard to deal with them as efficiently as possible.

Departmental Events

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last four years, giving the title, purpose, date and cost of each.

Tony Blair: My office supported "Building Bridges", a Christian-Muslim seminar held at Lambeth Palace on 17–18 January 2002, hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. We provided approximately £7,000 towards the cost of the seminar.

British Companies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 611W, on British companies, when and by what means his letter to the Prime Minister of Romania regarding Sidex came into the public domain; if he will place a copy in the Library; if a copy of it was sent to Sidex; how many letters he has written in the last 12 months to foreign Governments (a) in advance of and (b) following British companies winning contracts abroad; and what his criteria are for deciding whether to support British companies seeking contacts abroad by means of contracts with foreign Governments.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.

Official Visits

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the parliamentary constituencies he has visited since 1 October 2001.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member for the answer I gave him on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 104W.

Official Visits

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason his Chief of Staff accompanied him to Lord Levy's house during his visit of June 2001.

Tony Blair: My Chief of Staff did not accompany me.

Official Visits

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions members of the Policy Directorate have travelled overseas on official business since 7 June 2001; and if he will list the (a) destination and (b) total cost, including the (i) travel, (ii) accommodation and (iii) subsistence allowance for each occasion.

Tony Blair: Since 7 June 2001, members of the Policy Directorate have travelled overseas on official business on 13 occasions. The average cost of official travel was approximately £1,000 per visit.
	All visits have been made in accordance with the rules set out in the Civil Service Management Code. These arrangements follow the practice of successive Administrations.

Official Visits

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions his (a) Chief of Staff and (b) Director of Communications and Strategy have formed part of the official party accompanying him on overseas visits since 1 May 1997; and if he will list the (a) destination and (b) total cost, including (i) travel, (ii) accommodation and (iii) subsistence allowance on each occasion.

Tony Blair: Since 1 May 1997, my Chief of Staff has accompanied me on 35 official overseas visits and my Director of Communications has accompanied me on 77 official overseas visits. All visits have been made in accordance with the rules set out in the Civil Service Management Code. These arrangements follow the practice of successive Administrations.
	Information on the total travel and accommodation costs is included in the detailed list of Cabinet Ministers' visits overseas and information on expenditure by all Ministers on travel overseas. Lists of overseas visits undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing more than £500 during the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2001 were placed in the Library of the House and published in the Official Report on 17 June 1999, columns 196–97W; on 28 July 2000, column 969W; and on 20 July 2001, column 467W. The list for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year.

Official Visits

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions his chief of staff had with Her Majesty's Ambassador in Bucharest in June and July 2001; and what matters were discussed.

Tony Blair: None.

Special Advisers

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers were involved in the preparation of background material for his use during Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday 13 February; and how many hours were spent by those in each category above on such preparation.

Tony Blair: As far as I am aware I am briefed in the same way as my predecessors were. A senior civil servant is in charge of preparing my briefing for PMQs, and draws on the input of other civil servants and special advisers as they see fit.

Business Contacts

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what messages relating to LNM Holdings were exchanged between 10 Downing Street and the British Embassy in Bucharest in the 12 months to September 2001; and on what dates;
	(2)  whether since 7 June 2001 he has made representations to foreign Governments on behalf of individual companies; and which they were.

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each occasion since May 1997 when he has sent a personal message to heads of Government with the intention of advancing the commercial interest of British firms.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member and my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Members for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Adam Price) and the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on Thursday 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.

Energy Industry

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 609W, on the energy industry, if he will state the reasons that he does not consider a precedent to be set by the provision of details of ministerial meetings with respect to Enron; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.

WALES

National Assembly (Electoral System)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the operation of the electoral system for the National Assembly for Wales.

Paul Murphy: The electoral system for the Assembly elections was outlined in the 1997 White Paper "A Voice for Wales". The Government have no plans to change it.

Aerospace Industry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the aerospace industry in north Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the First Minister on a wide range of issues including the aerospace industry.
	I am pleased to note that Airbus have made considerable progress in reducing the number of jobs at risk. This has been due in part to the good working relationship built up between management and the unions within Airbus UK.

Steel

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales about measures to improve the local economy in the steel-making and former steel-making areas of Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet Cabinet colleagues and the First Minister regularly to discuss a number of issues, including economic development in steel making and former steel making areas.

National Health Service

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary for Health and Social Services in the National Assembly for Wales, regarding the state of the national health service in Wales.

Don Touhig: I have regular discussions with the Assembly's Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the NHS inWales.

National Health Service

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales regarding plans to reform the national health service in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. friend the Secretary of State and I have regular meetings with the Assembly First Minister and the Health and Social Services Minister to discuss the NHS and other health matters in Wales.
	We have had detailed discussions with regard to the reforms to be taken forward through the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill and the legislation mentioned in the Queens speech which will be drafted to reform the provision of health services in Wales.

National Health Service

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the Welsh Assembly regarding the national health service in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet with the National Assembly First Minister and the Assembly Health and Social Services Minister to discuss the NHS in Wales.

Objective 1

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales about the progress of objective 1 programmes in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues, including progress with the objective 1 programme. At 12 February 2002, over 470 objective 1 projects had been approved, worth a total of over £300 million in European grants. Over £64 million of Objective 1 grant has already been paid out by the Assembly.

Cross-border Flooding

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he had with the Environment Agency concerning cross-border flooding.

Paul Murphy: I have regular contact with the Environment Agency, which include discussions on floods and related matters.
	Additionally, the Wales Office and the Assembly are represented on the Interdepartmental Floods Task Force established by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Crime Reduction Partnerships

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with UK Government Ministers and representatives of the National Assembly for Wales on the work of crime reduction partnerships in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with colleagues and with the First Minister and his Cabinet colleagues about issues affecting Wales.
	The Government's partnership approach to fighting crime is making a significant difference in communities across Wales. With funding running into millions of pounds, local crime and disorder reduction partnerships are implementing projects targeted at crime hotspots, domestic violence and drug related crime. Partnerships are currently undertaking the first formal review of their strategies, which are due for completion in April 2002. The Crime Reduction Director for Wales encourages partnerships to link this work with other local community strategies, particularly the Communities First programme.

Domestic Violence

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary about projects to combat domestic violence in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with colleagues about issues affecting Wales, including the need for measures to combat domestic violence and to protect its victims.
	As part of our response, a new Ministerial Committee, Chaired by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Police, Courts and Drugs has been established to co-ordinate action across Government.
	A number of important initiatives in Wales have been supported both by the Government and the National Assembly. Later this year, the Crime Reduction Unit for Wales will host two major conferences on domestic violence.

Violent Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly about the level of violent crime in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with the First Minister and his Cabinet colleagues about a range of issues including levels of crime, and measures aimed at combating it.
	The Government are committed to continuing to improve the reporting and detection of violent crime, and to tackling its underlying causes.

Violent Crime

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department regarding violent crime in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with colleagues about issues affecting Wales, including levels of crime, and measures aimed at combating it.
	The Government are committed to continuing to improve the reporting and detection of violent crime, and to tackling its underlying causes.

Crime Reduction

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Whitehall colleagues and the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales about the implementation of measures to reduce crime in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are in regular contact with colleagues and with the First Minister and his Cabinet colleagues about issues affecting Wales.
	The Government's partnership approach to fighting crime is making a significant difference in communities across Wales. With funding running into millions of pounds, local crime and disorder reduction partnerships are implementing projects targeted at crime hotspots, domestic violence and drug related crime. The Crime Reduction Director for Wales encourages partnerships to link this work with other local community strategies, particularly the Communities First programme.

NHS Consultants' Contracts

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss with the First Secretary of the National Assembly the reform of NHS consultants' contracts.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet with the National Assembly First Minister and the Assembly Health and Social Services Minister to discuss the NHS in Wales.
	I am aware that the Department of Health and the devolved Administrations have published a suggested framework for a new consultant contract together with proposals for combining the existing distinction award and discretionary points schemes to a single scheme, providing rewards for excellence.
	Representatives from the Department of Health and the devolved Administrations are meeting the profession on a fortnightly basis to formulate a new form of contract which will have the support of both parties.

Business Regulation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations his Department has made to other Government Ministers concerning the level of regulation on business in Wales.

Paul Murphy: As a Cabinet member I have regular discussions on a range of issues including regulation on business.
	In July last year, I made a representation to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on certain aspects of the Government's move toward improving the efficiency of dispute resolution in Britain for both employees and employers.
	The Government's Regulatory Impact Unit (RIU) in the Cabinet Office is working to reduce regulation, bureaucracy and red tape in both the private and public sectors.
	For example, when business told us we could reduce the administrative burden of the National Minimum Wage and the Working Time Directive without affecting entitlements, we did so. The Government are keen to ensure that regulations do not damage business competitiveness.

Training

Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues and the First Secretary of the National Assembly about the progress of Government measures to improve the training and skills of the Welsh work force.

Don Touhig: I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues and the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales.
	The Government together with devolved Administrations are putting in place UK-wide arrangements for industry-led skills development, with new Sector Skills Councils supported by a Sector Skills Development Agency.
	I understand that the National Assembly for Wales will publish its Skills and Employment action plan today that will set out over 50 actions to raise skills and economic activity and help address skills gaps and shortages experienced by employers.

Economy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues and the First Secretary of the National Assembly about the performance of the Welsh economy.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues.
	The Government understand that some parts of the economy, such as manufacturing, continue to face difficulties.
	There are no simple solutions. However, the Government are convinced that their robust macro- economic policies will continue to provide the right economic environment for sustained growth with low inflation.

Manufacturing

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussion he has had with the First Secretary about the future viability of the manufacturing sector in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues including manufacturing in Wales.
	In Wales, under DTl's £15 million UK-wide scheme, a Welsh Centre of Manufacturing Excellence is being set up, which will benefit up to 2,000 firms in the first three years.

Manufacturing

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on new initiatives to assist manufacturing industries in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues, including manufacturing in Wales.
	The Government understand that some parts of the economy, such as manufacturing, continue to face real and sustained difficulties.
	There are no simple solutions at hand to ease these problems, but the Government and Assembly are helping British manufacturing to raise its game and to shift its focus from competing on the basis of cost alone towards high skill, high value-added products and processes.

Job Losses

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on developing a response to recent job losses in manufacturing in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues.
	Where there are significant job losses announced in Wales, there is swift help available through the Employment Service, together with Education Learning Wales (ELWa), Careers Wales and "one-stop shops" to help those who have lost their jobs with a range of assistance. This assistance can include careers advice, assistance with their applications and retraining in order to maximise opportunities to help them back into full employment.

Wales Cinema Day

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contribution his Department made to Wales cinema day this year; and what continuing commitment he has towards film-making and broadcasting in Wales.

Paul Murphy: My Department fully supports Wales cinema day. On 3rd December last year I visited the International Film School of Wales in Caerleon, Newport. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary also visited the film school on 9 November.

Miners' Compensation

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the number of applications for miners' compensation in Wales that have been settled (a) in full and (b) on an interim basis.

Don Touhig: I have regular discussions on many aspects of coal health compensation with the Minister for Industry and Energy at the Department of Trade and Industry.
	To date, there have been almost 34,000 respiratory disease and 17,000 vibration white finger claims registered in Wales. Nearly 12,000 interim payments and 2,800 full and final payments worth £71.2 million have been made in relation to respiratory disease. With regard to vibration white finger, 5,000 interim payments have been made and 4,600 claims have been settled by payment. The Department of Trade and Industry and their claim handlers IRISC are on target to make 15,000 respiratory disease offers in Wales by the end of the year.

Miners' Compensation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding miners' pension schemes.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues including the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
	I very much welcome the announcement made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy on 17 January to enhance pensions for those miners on low pensions. The Government have been concerned about these miners for some time.
	My hon. Friend also made a joint statement with trustees of the two former British Coal pension schemes, the mineworkers' pension scheme and the British Coal staff superannuation scheme, agreeing a review of arrangements for the Government's guarantee of Members' basic pension benefits.
	Both the Government and the trustees recognise that there have been changes in circumstances since 1994 and have agreed to explore how these changes might best be reflected in revisions to the 1994 arrangements which would benefit Members. In doing so, they recognise that any revisions will need to be based on an equitable sharing of risks and reward between the schemes and the Exchequer, and will need to be sufficiently robust to operate satisfactorily in a wide variety of conditions.

Special Advisers

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; and if he will list the total cost, including (i) travel, (ii) accommodation and (iii) subsistence allowance, for each occasion.

Paul Murphy: Information is available only for the period since the Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999.
	Departmental special advisers have accompanied Ministers on visits abroad on seven occasions. It is not practicable separately to identify the costs of these visits, but all journeys were judged to comply with the Civil Service code.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council if he will bring forward proposals to the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House in respect of the rules relating to the type of question hon. Members can ask Ministers.

Robin Cook: Not at present. The Procedure Committee is currently inquiring into parliamentary questions, and I await the outcome of that inquiry. The hon. Gentleman may wish to make proposals to them.

Departmental Website

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what the total cost of his Department's website was in real terms in each of the last four years; and how many hits it received in each of those years.

Robin Cook: The Privy Council Office website was established in August 2000. In 2000–01, the cost to my Department of running it (including the initial setting up costs) was approximately £7,200. During the calendar year 2001, there were 300,914 successful hits to the website. The further information requested is not available.

Services

Vincent Cable: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what services to Parliament are provided by outside contractors; when their contracts are due for renewal; and what services are provided in-house.

Archy Kirkwood: The House of Commons Commission is responsible only for services to this House. A very wide range of services is provided to support the work of the House, its Committees, and individual Members. I could not provide the information my hon. Friend seeks, except at disproportionate cost. If my hon. Friend has particular services in mind, the Director of Finance and Administration will do his best to assist.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made of the work load and excess hours worked by staff supporting the (a) Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and (b) Registrar of Members' Interests; and if he will make a statement on the Commission's plans for remedy and recognition of the work load.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 13 of the Commission paper "Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards: Nomination of Candidate" (House of Commons Paper 598 of the present Session).

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, by what proportion Mrs. Filkin has been underpaid as Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards; and when was the first day of work for which late payment is being made.

Archy Kirkwood: Mrs. Filkin has not been underpaid. As the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bell) indicated in his response to the debate on the nomination of the new Commissioner on 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 267, Mrs. Filkin has been paid for all the days she has worked. As in the case of any individual employed by the Commission, details of her pay are confidential.

John Stonborough

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether a daily rate of remuneration was agreed after Mr. John Stonborough was selected as Media Adviser to the House; and whether there is a bonus arrangement.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (David Winnick) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 210W.

John Stonborough

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, who keeps records of the days worked by Mr. John Stonborough for the House.

Archy Kirkwood: The Director of Finance and Administration arranged Mr. Stonborough's terms of engagement, and is monitoring the contract.

Recycling

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what percentage of waste within each department in the Palace of Westminster is recycled.

Marion Roe: Information on recycling is not recorded on a departmental basis. However, from March 2002, monthly data will be published, which will show the total amount of waste sent for recycling from the parliamentary estate under the following headings: paper, cardboard, glass, cooking oils and light bulbs.

PDVN

John McDonnell: To ask the Chairman of the Information Select Committee what the cost was of (a) the introduction of the PDVN system and (b) subsequent upgrades to the system; and what the cost is of its annual maintenance.

Archy Kirkwood: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures are not kept in a form which allows the cost of establishing the PDVN to be identified. However, set-up costs were identified in the First Report of the Information Committee of Session 1993–94, "The Provision of a Parliamentary Data and Video Network". The cost of hardware and network software over the period 1994 to 2000 was estimated to be £1,962,000 (at 1994 prices). The hardware and network software was subject to a significant upgrade during the summer recess of 1999, at a cost of £2,100,000.
	Cabling of the Parliamentary Estate is a continuing project and is necessary not just for the installation of the PDVN but also for the introduction of a new fire detection system. Identifying cabling costs specific to the installation of the PDVN is thus not possible.
	The contract for maintenance of the PDVN currently costs £600,000 a year and includes the replacement of equipment and minor upgrades to the software. The cost of parliamentary staff directly involved in the day-to-day maintenance of the Network is approximately £100,000 a year.

Health and Safety Legislation

John Taylor: To ask the President of the Council what plans he has to introduce health and safety legislation this Session; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to introduce health and safety legislation this Session.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Priests (Compensation)

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many priests claimed compensation under the scheme for those priests who disagreed with the ordination of women in each year since the scheme's inception.

Stuart Bell: The Ordination of Women (Financial Provisions) Measure 1993 took effect on 22 February 1994. By the end of 2001, 412 clergy had resigned and were receiving or had received payments under the Measure. A yearly breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			 Year of resignation Number of claimants 
		
		
			 1994 232 
			 1995 67 
			 1996 39 
			 1997 20 
			 1998 19 
			 1999 13 
			 2000 15 
			 2001 7 
			 Total 412

Priests (Compensation)

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, how many applications for compensation there were in the (a) last year and (b) current year from priests claiming compensation under the Ordination of Women Measure.

Stuart Bell: In 2001 seven clergy applied for and are receiving payment under the Ordination of Women (Financial Provisions) Measure 1993. So far in 2002 one minister has applied for and is receiving such payment.

Priests (Compensation)

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what the cost of the compensation Measure has been for those leaving the priesthood over the ordination of women in each year since the compensation Measure came into effect.

Stuart Bell: By 31 December 2001, the cumulative cost of payments made to clergy who had resigned and were receiving or had received payments under the Ordination of Women (Financial Provisions) Measure 1993 was £15.8 million. The annual totals are:
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year of resignation Total cost 
		
		
			 1994 2.6 
			 1995 3.3 
			 1996 2.9 
			 1997 1.0 
			 1998 1.8 
			 1999 1.8 
			 2000 1.2 
			 2001 1.2 
			  
			 Total 15.8 
		
	
	These figures include monthly payments, grants for resettlement and, where needed, retraining, pension contributions and some assistance with rental for retirement housing.
	Expenditure to 31 December 2001 and budgeted provision for future expenditure in relation to the 412 claimants under the Measure is £24.2 million in total.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Royal Peculiars

Frank Field: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submissions made to him in response to the Review on the Royal Peculiars;
	(2)  how many (a) individuals and (b) organisations have submitted comments on the Review on the Royal Peculiars.

Michael Wills: 38 individuals and nine organisations have submitted comments in response to the Department's consultation on the recommendations of the Review of Royal Peculiars.
	A copy of these responses will be placed in the Library when they are published.

Applications for Probate

David Chaytor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to review the fee structure established by the Court Service for applications for probate to ensure that the fee is more closely related to the value of the net estate; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Following a review in 1999, the fees for non-contentious probate were revised so that they more closely reflected the cost of providing the service. At present there are no plans to conduct a further review of the fees structure.

Legal Aid

David Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps she (a) has taken and (b) intends to take to encourage trainee solicitors to undertake legal aid practice.

Rosie Winterton: A number of initiatives have been introduced in order to assist with the continuing recruitment and retention of publicly funded lawyers. In April 2000, of the £46.7 million of additional money which was allocated to the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to assist with Legal Help contracts in 2000–01:
	£23 million, which was subsequently increased to £29 million, was awarded for asylum work to finance an incentive package to include training, recruitment and financial help to encourage existing contractors to expand and new organisations to enter into contracts.
	£1 million was provided to fund training in immigration, mental health and community care. This was provided in order to develop training courses and help firms to expand and retrain staff in priority categories of law.
	This is an area we keep under review, because our reforms to legal aid give the LSC opportunities to improve the supplier base. But I have no immediate proposals to announce.

Legal Aid

David Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent assessment she has made of trends in recruitment and retention of legal aid lawyers.

Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) reviews trends in recruitment and the retention of publicly funded lawyers on a continuing basis to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of competent lawyers to do all categories of publicly supported legal work throughout England and Wales. The LSC reports regularly to the LCD and the evidence is that there is currently a sufficient number of lawyers to undertake publicly funded work. As at 15 February 2002, there were 4,935 solicitor offices with contracts to undertake publicly funded civil and family work. In addition to this, the LSC has also awarded contracts to 382 not-for-profit sector organisations. As at 31 January 2001, the total number of solicitor offices with General Criminal Contracts stood at 2,921. There are also four public defender offices with the fifth to open in April 2002 and the sixth shortly after.

Publicity Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the total real terms expenditure of her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if she will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations.

Rosie Winterton: Total real terms costs for advertising are as listed. During this period the LCD ran an advertising campaign to support the recruiting of lay magistrates, which accounts for spending in 1998–99 and mounted a major public information campaign throughout England and Wales on behalf of the Community Legal Service and the help and advice website "Just Ask!" which accounts for almost all of the advertising spend in 2000–01.
	Publicity achieved by press and public relations work is not recorded separately and costs cannot be differentiated from running costs.
	
		
			  Advertising spend £ 
		
		
			 (a) 1997–98  
			 LCDHQ 0 
			 PRO 4,465 
			 PGO 0 
			 Land Registry 13,580 
			 Court Service 0 
			 NICS 0 
			 Total 18,045 
			 (b) 1998–99  
			 LCDHQ 450,000 
			 PRO 7,640 
			 PGO 0 
			 Land Registry 9,625 
			 Court Service 5,345 
			 NICS 0 
			 Total 473,110 
			 (c) 1999–2000  
			 LCDHQ 0 
			 PRO 2,710 
			 PGO 0 
			 Land Registry 13,960 
			 Court Service 18,960 
			 NICS 0 
			 Total 35,630 
			 (d) 2000–01  
			 LCDHQ 4,283,780 
			 PRO 8,950 
			 PGO 0 
			 Land Registry 2,505 
			 Court Service 13,000 
			 NICS 4,800 
			 Total 4,313,035 
		
	
	
		
			  Advertising spend £  
			   (i) to date (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year (Until 31 March 2002) 
		
		
			 (e) 2001–02   
			 LCDHQ 0 0 
			 PRO 8,640 8,640 
			 PGO 0 0 
			 Land Registry 2,650 3,200 
			 Court Service 4,270 4,600 
			 NICS 0 0 
			 CAFCASS 6,515 7,420 
			 Total 22,075 23,860

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the total cost to the Lord Chancellor's Department was for accountancy services in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department entered into a nine-year PFI contract with CSL Group Ltd. in January 1998. This contract covers a wide range of services including providing accounting systems, making payments, receipting and accounts production. The cost of accountancy services provided to the Department by CSL under the contract, and from other external firms of accountants or their management consultancy arms where the assignment was connected with financial matters, in each of the last four years was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1998–99 3.8 
			 1999–2000 4.5 
			 2000–01 6.0 
			 2001–02 5.2(1) 
		
	
	(1) To January 2002.
	Note:
	Figures include significant development work on resource accounting and budgeting.

Community Service Personnel

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases of a breach of community service penalties there were in the west midlands region to the end of 2001.

Keith Bradley: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, relating to the west midlands region, shows that 1,398 persons breached their original community punishment orders in 2000. This total includes estimated magistrates courts data for Staffordshire since Staffordshire Police were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000.
	This figure includes persons breaching community punishment orders in Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands police force areas at both magistrates courts and the Crown Court.
	Statistics for 2001 are not yet available.

DEFENCE

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Engineering and Science Group; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Engineering and Science Group is not an organisation but merely a nominated group of professional-level civil servant engineers and scientists working within the Ministry of Defence.
	On 22 January 2002, records showed the Defence Engineering and Science Group to be comprised of 12,027 engineers and scientists across the UK, of whom 833 are employed in Scotland. These 833 are employed in different agencies and budget areas of the Ministry of Defence.
	The personnel costs for these engineers and scientists cannot be uniquely or separately identified under the name Defence Engineering and Science Group, and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The UK and Scotland figures given include professional-level civil servant engineers and scientists that have been previously included in answers to Warship Support Agency, UK National Codification Bureau, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Defence clothing and Textiles Agency, and the Defence Procurement Agency.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Army Base Repair Organisation; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: As of 1 December 2001, the total number of staff employed by ABRO, formerly known as the Army Base Repair Organisation, was 2,694. Of these 132 individuals were employed at Stirling, ABRO's sole workshop facility in Scotland.
	The forecast total pay cost of ABRO staff for the current financial year of 2001–02 was as of 1 December 2001, £55.934 million. This figure includes £2.281 million for Stirling.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Strategic and Combat Studies Institute; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Strategic and Combat Studies Institute (SCSI) is a defence academic forum controlled by the Defence Studies Branch of the Directorate of Development and Doctrine at Upavon. It is co-ordinated by the Director of Defence Studies (Army) and his Administrative Officer, based at Shrivenham. These two individuals are the only staff of the SCSI and there are no staff employed in Scotland. The costs of the SCSI are absorbed within the budget of the Defence Studies Branch and are restricted to publication and conference fees. The SCSI publishes a series of defence academic journals entitled "The Occasional".

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Analytical Services Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: Defence Analytical Services Agency's (DASA)'s permanent full-time equivalent strength at 1 December 2001 was 135. DASA employs no staff in Scotland. The personnel cost of DASA's permanent staff for financial year 2000–01 was £3.257 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Secondary Care Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: As at 1 October 2001, 2,515 permanent personnel and staff on long-term contracts worked for the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA); 10 were employed in Scotland, in the field of community psychiatry. Personnel costs for the current financial year in respect of staff in these long-term appointments are forecast to be some £83.26 million. In addition, the DSCA employs staff as and when required on short-term contracts. The associated personnel costs for the current financial year are forecast to be some £3.45 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Estates; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Estates employs 1,610 people, of whom 107 work in Scotland. The personnel costs of the agency for the financial year from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 are £42.919 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the National Codification Bureau; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The UK National Codification Bureau employs some 98 personnel, all in Glasgow. Personnel costs amount to about £2 million per annum.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Directorate General Commercial Organisation; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Director General Commercial is the Professional Head of the Ministry of Defence's Commercial Function. He is professionally responsible for all commercial posts throughout the MOD, some 2,000 staff in total. Approximately 150 of these are based in Scotland. The Director General Commercial Organisation is a term used to describe collectively the commercial staff within the MOD. It is neither an agency, nor a budgetary element within the Department and costs of commercial staff are borne by their parent organisations. No central record is kept of the personnel costs for the Commercial Function and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency ceased to exist on 1 July 2001. From its constituent parts two new organisations were created; QinetiQ, a Ministry of Defence owned commercial company; and the Defence Science and Technology laboratory (Dstl), an agency of the MOD.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the War Pensions Agency; how many employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: A total of 918.5 people work in the War Pensions Agency, 16 of who are employed in Scotland. The total staff costs forecast for the year 2001–02 is £18,804,733.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Disposal Services Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) Annual Report and Accounts 2000–01 (pages 36–38) which was laid before the House on 18 July 2001. Copies are available in the Library of the House. There were four DSA employees in Scotland during this period.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Bills Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The number of staff who work for the Defence Bills Agency is 649, which equates to 583 full time equivalents, none of whom is employed in Scotland.
	The forecast of personnel costs for 2001–02 is £11.076 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Repository; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has a central records repository that is located at Hayes in west London. There are currently 100 MOD personnel directly involved in providing the main records and support services at the Hayes site, some working part-time, at an annual cost of £1.743 million. A further 12 MOD personnel working on associated tasks are based at the site, at an annual cost of £281,000. The records repository is not a defence agency and does not have any other sites associated with it, including in Scotland.
	Other Government Departments also have staff at the Hayes site, associated with their records holdings there. The Hayes site and the pan-Government records storage and retrieval services it provides are currently the subject of a Public Private Partnership project.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Procurement Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Procurement Agency employs approximately 4,500 civilian and military staff, of which 122 are in Scotland.
	The payroll costs for financial year 2000–01 were just under £126 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Meteorological Office; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The current number of people working for the Meteorological Office is 2,064. Of this number, 139 people are employed in Scotland. The total Meteorological Office pay bill for financial year 2001–02 is likely to be £72.771 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Scientific Advisory Council; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC) is an advisory body that provides independent advice to Ministers on scientific research matters related to defence issues.
	DSAC consists of five standing boards, a register of independent members and the Council itself. The current register contains 185 members, drawn from industry and academia, 13 of whom have registered that they live and work in Scotland. Each member is paid a daily fee for attendance at meetings together with travel and subsistence as and when members partake in DSAC activities.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Warship Support Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: As at November 2001, the latest date for which detailed figures are readily available, there were 11,105 people working for the Warship Support Agency, of which 3,666 were employed in Scotland. It is estimated that personnel costs within the agency for the financial year 2001–02 will total some £225 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Directorate of Standardisation; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: In 1999 the Directorate of Standardisation became the UK Defence Standardisation team and part of the Defence Procurement Agency's Procurement Development Group. The UK Defence Standardisation team has the equivalent of 38 people working full time of which 32 are employed in Scotland. The payroll costs for financial year 2001–02 are estimated at £1.1 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Hydrographic Office; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: As at 1 December 2001, there were 914 people employed at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. Currently there are five people (three full time and two part time) employed at the Chart Maintenance Unit at Faslane in Scotland. The forecast personnel costs for the agency for the financial year 2001–02 are £24,567 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the International Visits Control Office; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The International Visits Control Office is a part of the Directorate of Defence Security, and wholly based in London; it has no staff employed in Scotland. The office has a complement of nine posts. The annual personnel cost for the office is approximately £189,000.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Export Services Organisation; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Export Services Organisation employs 589 1 service and civilian personnel, of whom three are based in Scotland. The personnel costs of the organisation for the financial year 2000–01, part of which are met from receipts, were £25.4 million.
	1 Full-time equivalent.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Ministry of Defence Police; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: As at 1 January 2002, 3,328 police officers and 263 civilian staff were employed by the Ministry of Defence Police Agency. 782 police officers and 36 civilian staff were employed in Scotland. The personnel costs of the MDP Agency for the financial year 2000–01 were some £143 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Aviation Repair Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The latest figures available show that at 1 December 2001 the number of employees working for the Defence Aviation Repair Agency is 5,020. The number of employees working in Scotland is 334. The annual personnel costs of the agency at 1 December 2001 are £120 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the British Forces Post Office; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) employs 132 military and 429 civilian personnel, mainly at its sorting office and headquarters in Mill Hill, London NW7. The remaining personnel are located in 11 regional Defence Mail Centres including one in Glasgow employing nine civilian staff. These are the only BFPO staff located in Scotland.
	The total annual personnel costs of BFPO are £11.838 million.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency was disestablished in October 2000. Part of the organisation was restructured and became the Defence Clothing Integrated Project Team (IPT) in April 2001. The IPT currently employs 245 staff, none of whom are employed in Scotland. The staff costs of the IPT are approximately £7.3 million per annum.

Defence Agency Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Scientific and Technical Laboratory; how many are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency are.

Lewis Moonie: At 1 January 2002, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) employed 3,037 staff. Of these, 54 were employed in Scotland. Based upon the first six months of Dstl operations, Dstl's paybill (which includes total pay, casual allowances, ERNIC and pension costs) averaged £8.56 million per month.

Winter Olympics

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) UK assets and forces and (b) NATO assets and forces have been used in supplying security for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and have replaced US forces in other theatres to allow for deployment to the US in order to undertake security for the Winter Olympics; in what roles they have been deployed; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As part of NATO Allies' contribution to combating terrorism, NATO has deployed Airborne Warning and Control Aircraft to help patrol American airspace including over Salt Lake City.

Legal Action

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2001, Official Report, column 178W, on legal action, how many cases (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have defended in (i) industrial tribunals and (ii) the courts, in each year since 1997; how many were concluded in their favour; and what the total cost was to his Department of litigation in each year.

Lewis Moonie: Due to the volume of information required to answer this question, I refer the hon. Member to the Ministry of Defence's Claims Annual Report, a copy of which is placed in the Library of the House each year. The report sets out the numbers and costs of those cases handled centrally such as Employer's Liability, Public Liability and Employment Tribunals brought by service personnel.

RN Officers Corps

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken in regard to the job evaluation results of RN Officers Corps conducted in 2001; whether the evaluations have been published; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The results of the job evaluations of RN Officer posts completed in 2001 have been passed to the Office of Manpower Economics, which provides the secretariat to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). Job evaluation data are used by the AFPRB in carrying out its remit to ensure pay within the armed forces is comparable with that of external groups undertaking jobs of similar weight. While copies of the job descriptions generated as part of the evaluation process are made available, the final evaluation scores are not released. This is common practice in the wider evaluation industry and is followed throughout the armed forces regardless of rank or service. The evaluation system and its use are periodically scrutinised by independent consultants.

MOD Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sites have been provided with MOD police since September 2001; on what basis these have been provided; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Since 11 September, Ministry of Defence police have continued to secure key sites, and additional officers have been detached.

Royal Navy (Pay Banding)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the Officer Corps to move to Pay 2000 pay banding in the higher and lower tiers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when the Officer Corps of the Royal Navy is to be upgraded to Pay 2000 JE pay banding; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are currently no plans to introduce differential pay banding for officers. Any changes to the current pay arrangements would firstly require the support of job evaluation data. A concerted programme to evaluate a wide sample of officer posts has recently been initiated. this is primarily to enable the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to fulfil their remit to ensure pay levels are broadly comparable with those in civilian life.

SCOTLAND

Friends of Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been budgeted for by the Scotland Office to support the Friends of Scotland initiative during (a) financial year 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

Helen Liddell: Expenditure relating to the Friends of Scotland initiative in 2001–02 was absorbed within the Department's budget. No budget has been set yet for 2002–03.

Clyde Shipyards Taskforce

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the work of the Clyde Shipyards Taskforce.

Helen Liddell: The work of the Clyde Shipyards Task Force is embodied in the published report which was handed over on 4 February. The Task Force was established in response to the announcement by BAE Systems that around 1,000 redundancies would be required to be spread between both of its yards on the Clyde. The remit was to consider the immediate and longer-term strategic issues facing the Clyde shipbuilding industry, particularly naval, and to identify the changes necessary to ensure a competitive industry and to exploit future opportunities.
	Key successes include reducing the required number of redundancies to 450, the establishment of two Employee Support Centres, the planned investment by BAE Systems Marine of £75 million on Clydeside and the establishment of heating installation and engineer opportunities for redundant employees.
	The report identified a total of 29 recommendations to be taken forward by Task Force Partners and for consideration by those outwith the Task Force. The report must be considered as a starting point, not an end in itself. Partners must deliver on their recommendations. Also there is the opportunity for BAE Systems to deliver a sound order book, based on the MoD contracts for Landing Craft (utility), Alternative Landing Ships Logistic and the Type 45 programme on which, for the first time in generations, the Clyde yards can plan and build for success. The work of the Task Force was part of that process.
	As part of the continuing process, the redundancy sub-group will continue to meet each month to develop activity and review progress towards its targets. The Task Force Partners have also agreed to meet twice more over the next six months to maintain the momentum and focus on implementing their commitments.

A75

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations she has received regarding the level of speed limit in place along the A75 for heavy goods vehicles.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 12 February 2002
	Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions have received any representations on this matter.

Industrial Action

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff.

Asthma

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local education authorities in Scotland are implementing an asthma policy.

George Foulkes: As part of its responsibilities for health and education, this matter is devolved to the Scottish Executive.

Foot and Mouth

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scotland Office will (a) co-operate with and (b) give evidence to the temporary committee of the European Parliament set up to look into the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Scotland in 2001.

Helen Liddell: The remit of the EP Temporary Committee on Foot and Mouth disease is:
	To assess EU policy and the control of meat imports from third countries in the context of the epidemic;
	To analyse the management and implementation of community law in relation to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease so far and to invite the Commission, Governments and public officials to attend hearings of the Committee;
	To analyse the total impact on Community funds of the foot and mouth epidemic so far;
	Based on the above, to make proposals to look into vaccination policy in particular and for political and legislative initiatives, with regard to the prevention and fighting of diseases in the agricultural sector in general.
	The Committee was not set up 'to look into the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Scotland in 2001'.
	The Government are ready to co-operate with the Committee but have not so far been invited to give evidence to the Committee. If and when an invitation is received, the Government will consult closely with the devolved Administrations, including the Scottish Executive, in considering their response.

Advertising

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Scotland Office spent on advertising in each year since 1997.

Helen Liddell: The Scottish Office was established in its present from on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following amounts on advertising:—
	
		Amount spent on advertising
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 July 1999-March 2000 26,861 
			 April 2000-March 2001 317,831 
			 March 2001 to date 231,862 
		
	
	Most of the expenditure related to electoral registration matters.

Aggregates Tax

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the cost to Scottish councils of the proposed aggregates tax.

Helen Liddell: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed the introduction of the aggregates levy after a considered assessment of its impact across the UK.

Electoral Publicity

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent by her Department on electoral publicity associated with the 2001 general election and if she will provide a breakdown of the sum spent by her Department on electoral publicity associated with the 2001 general election.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office spent in total £219,000 on electoral publicity for the general election in June 2001. This comprised £106,000 for producing and transmitting a television campaign aimed at encouraging people to vote, and £113,000 for creating and placing newspaper advertisements on postal voting arrangements.

Empty Properties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total area in square feet of all empty properties owned by (a) her Department, (b) her agencies and (c) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility was in each year since May 1997.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. The Department has had no empty properties since that date.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Capita Contracts

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the contracts her Department has with Capita; and what the (a) value and (b) nature of the contracts are.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 26 February 2002
	My Department has a number of contracts with Capita for a range of different services. These are as follows:
	Teachers' Pensions—Administration of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme. A contract with an estimated value in excess of £70 million over seven years.
	Connexions Card—Development of the Connexions Card. A Public Private Partnership with a contract value in excess of £100 million over seven years.
	Individual Learning Accounts—Administration of the ILA scheme. A contract for five years with an estimated value of around £55 million.
	Consultancy Framework Contracts—Framework contract to provide general management consultancy support and consultancy support for LEA interventions. The value of these contracts is determined by their level of usage. Estimated expenditure to date has been £436,500.

Education (Stoke)

George Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16-year-olds have opted to continue into (a) further and (b) higher education in the Stoke-on-Trent local education authority in each of the last four years.

Ivan Lewis: The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time and part-time education for Stoke-on-Trent LEA in the three years for which data are available is as follows. Prior to 1997–98 Stoke on Trent LEA was part of Staffordshire LEA.
	
		Percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time and part-time education(2): Stoke-on-Trent LEA
		
			   Full-time education  Part-time education 
		
		
			 1997–98 49 9 
			 1998–99 52 8 
			 1999–2000 58 7 
		
	
	(2) Includes participation in schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges
	Corresponding data for participation in full-time higher education by the same age cohort two years later are as follows.
	
		Percentage of 18-year-olds from Stoke-on-Trent LEA accepted for -- entry to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses(3)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 11 
			 2000–01 13 
			 2001–02 16 
		
	
	(3) Defined as the number of 18-year-olds from Stoke accepted for entry to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses via UCAS, as a proportion of the 17-year-old population in Stoke the previous year
	In 1999–2000 Stoke-on-Trent became one of the original 15 LEAs to be piloted for the roll-out of Education Maintenance Allowances. National evaluation of EMA shows it to have had a beneficial effect on post-16 participation.Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by Young People aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England".

Standards Fund

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated per pupil through the Standards Fund for each English education authority in 2001–02.

Stephen Timms: The following table shows allocations for the Standards Fund, shown as an amount per pupil, for 2001–02, for each local education authority in England. The figures include recurrent and capital Standards Fund grants excluding those that are specifically for under-5s education, further education and adult education. The Standards Fund includes Government grant and local authority contributions, which have both been included in the calculations.
	The Standards Fund is one element of overall education funding and supports a range of national education priorities, such as the national literacy and numeracy strategies, support for Specialist Schools, measures to raise the level of achievement of pupils from ethnic minorities, the Excellence in Cities initiative and capital projects. As such the Standards Fund is not allocated on a simple per pupil basis, but in relation to the specific priorities it is designed to support. For example, the allocation a local education authority will receive to support its Specialist Schools will depend on the number of those schools in that authority. A local education authority will not necessarily receive an allocation for every Standards Fund priority. For example, not all authorities are part of the Excellence in Cities initiative, which is designed to raise performance through a targeted programme addressing the educational problems of our major cities.
	
		Standards fund per pupil
		
			 Local education authority £ per pupil 
		
		
			 Corporation of London 1,738 
			 Camden 682 
			 Greenwich 665 
			 Hackney 830 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 725 
			 Islington 757 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 708 
			 Lambeth 701 
			 Lewisham 624 
			 Southwark 649 
			 Tower Hamlets 861 
			 Wandsworth 641 
			 Westminster 632 
			 Barking 466 
			 Barnet 357 
			 Bexley 312 
			 Brent 492 
			 Bromley 333 
			 Croydon 384 
			 Ealing 544 
			 Enfield 406 
			 Haringey 677 
			 Harrow 350 
			 Havering 331 
			 Hillingdon 343 
			 Hounslow 439 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 490 
			 Merton 547 
			 Newham 578 
			 Redbridge 366 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 399 
			 Sutton 325 
			 Waltham Forest 602 
			 Birmingham 519 
			 Coventry 414 
			 Dudley 323 
			 Sandwell 435 
			 Solihull 328 
			 Walsall 425 
			 Wolverhampton 510 
			 Knowsley 676 
			 Liverpool 555 
			 St. Helens 452 
			 Sefton 426 
			 Wirral 451 
			 Bolton 376 
			 Bury 321 
			 Manchester 639 
			 Oldham 445 
			 Rochdale 541 
			 Salford 553 
			 Stockport 373 
			 Tameside 393 
			 Trafford 351 
			 Wigan 318 
			 Barnsley 408 
			 Doncaster 389 
			 Rotherham 520 
			 Sheffield 534 
			 Bradford 559 
			 Calderdale 358 
			 Kirklees 462 
			 Leeds 481 
			 Wakefield 403 
			 Gateshead 555 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 529 
			 North Tyneside 462 
			 South Tyneside 506 
			 Sunderland 480 
			 Isles of Scilly 1,743 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 371 
			 City of Bristol 481 
			 North Somerset 346 
			 South Gloucestershire 355 
			 Hartlepool 493 
			 Middlesbrough 504 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 469 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 536 
			 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 498 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 375 
			 North East Lincolnshire 411 
			 North Lincolnshire 392 
			 North Yorkshire 362 
			 York 368 
			 Bedfordshire 403 
			 Luton 468 
			 Buckinghamshire 396 
			 Milton Keynes 392 
			 Derbyshire 388 
			 Derby City 420 
			 Dorset 348 
			 Poole 305 
			 Bournemouth 507 
			 Durham 430 
			 Darlington 420 
			 East Sussex 359 
			 Brighton and Hove 391 
			 Hampshire 344 
			 Portsmouth 400 
			 Southampton 366 
			 Leicestershire 323 
			 Leicester City 509 
			 Rutland 478 
			 Staffordshire 320 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 538 
			 Wiltshire 352 
			 Swindon 352 
			 Bracknell Forest Borough Council 348 
			 RB of Windsor and Maidenhead 402 
			 West Berkshire District Council 382 
			 Reading 460 
			 Slough Borough Council 446 
			 Wokingham District council 362 
			 Cambridgeshire County Council 346 
			 Peterborough City Council 385 
			 Cheshire County Council 319 
			 Halton Borough Council 553 
			 Warrington Borough Council 338 
			 Devon County Council 342 
			 City of Plymouth 315 
			 Torbay Borough Council 317 
			 Essex County Council 334 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 341 
			 Thurrock Council 395 
			 Herefordshire Council 377 
			 Worcestershire County Council 339 
			 Kent County Council 327 
			 Medway Council 328 
			 Lancashire County Council 381 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 540 
			 Blackpool Borough Council 361 
			 Nottinghamshire County Council 343 
			 City of Nottingham 656 
			 Shropshire County Council 357 
			 Telford and Wrekin 448 
			 Cornwall 388 
			 Cumbria 391 
			 Gloucestershire 356 
			 Hertfordshire 328 
			 Isle of Wight 387 
			 Lincolnshire 380 
			 Norfolk 387 
			 Northamptonshire 372 
			 Northumberland 362 
			 Oxfordshire 369 
			 Somerset 411 
			 Suffolk 338 
			 Surrey 315 
			 Warwickshire 342 
			 West Sussex 310 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures include recurrent and capital grants.

Standard Spending Assessments

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the 10 lowest education SSAs are per (a) primary and (b) secondary pupil for English education authorities in 2001–02.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is in the following table. The variations in SSA per pupil have two main causes: authorities in London and the South East receive an area cost adjustment, to compensate for the higher costs they face; and authorities receive funding according to their level of deprivation.
	The Government acknowledge that there are disparities in SSA per pupil, which are not justified by the education needs of children. We are working up proposals, in partnership with local government and other education interests, for the introduction of a new funding system in 2003–04.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Primary aged 5–10  
			 334 Solihull 2,340 
			 356 Stockport 2,340 
			 802 North Somerset 2,340 
			 872 Wokingham 2,340 
			 836 Poole 2,330 
			 860 Staffordshire 2,330 
			 877 Warrington 2,330 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 2,320 
			 855 Leicestershire 2,290 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 2,270 
			   
			 Secondary aged 11–15  
			 875 Cheshire 3,010 
			 885 Worcestershire 3,010 
			 860 Staffordshire 3,000 
			 877 Warrington 3,000 
			 836 Poole 2,990 
			 334 Solihull 2,980 
			 855 Leicestershire 2,960 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 2,940 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 2,930 
			 857 Rutland 2,910 
		
	
	Note:
	All figures are rounded to the nearest £10.

AS-level Courses

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding arrangements are proposed for pupils taking AS-level courses before age 16; and what the implications will be for the budgets of (a) the local learning and skills councils and (b) the LEAs respectively.

Stephen Timms: Funding for pupils of compulsory school age who are not in a sixth form but are taking an AS-level a year or more early continues to be the responsibility of the LEA. In developing future funding arrangements we will take into account responses to the recent Green Paper "14–19—extending opportunities, raising standards".

Playing Fields

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list applications made to her Department in the last three years for consent to allow development on school playing fields giving in each case (a) the outcome of the application, (b) what steps were taken to ascertain whether adequate sports facilities would remain if permission were granted and (c) where consent was given, what assurances were secured as to how proceeds of sale would be used.

Stephen Timms: pursuant to his reply, 25 February 2002, c. 730–34W
	A column was omitted from the table. The corrected table follows.
	Although the Department does not collect information in the form requested, the following table lists applications to dispose of areas equal to, or larger than, a sports pitch, together with their outcome.
	Before October 1998, there was nothing to prevent a local authority selling a school playing field if it wanted to. Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced in October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields. Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools are now required to obtain the Secretary of State's consent before disposing of playing fields or any part of a playing field.
	Applications to dispose, or change the use, of school playing fields are assessed against the following criteria:
	(a) schools' needs: that playing field provision and curriculum requirements at the school making the disposal, and at other schools in the local area, will be met;
	(b) community needs: that community use of a school's playing fields is taken into account, with alternative facilities made available if necessary;
	(c) finance: that any sale proceeds are re-invested to provide new or improved sports facilities at schools, or are used to help to raise standards by providing better educational facilities.
	Only those applications that meet the criteria are approved. Since July 2001, all applications have been scrutinised by the independent School Playing Fields Advisory Panel to make sure that they conform to the published criteria. The Panel comprises representatives from the National Playing Fields Association, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the education organisation Learning through Landscapes, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Local Government Association.
	
		Applications to dispose of school sports pitches that have been determined by the Secretary of State
		
			  LEA  School name  Date applied Result of application 
		
		
			 Barnet Ashmole 15 December 1998 Approved 
			 Bedfordshire Silver Jubilee Middle 30 April 1999 Approved 
			 Bedfordshire Ashton St. Peter VA 29 September 2000 Approved 
			 Birmingham Broadway 11 June 2001 Approved 
			 Blackpool Collegiate High 13 December 1999 Approved 
			 Bolton St. James's CE 24 July 1998 Approved 
			 Bristol Monks Park Secondary 28 October 1998 Approved 
			 Buckinghamshire Bellfield First and Middle 22 February 1999 Approved 
			 Buckinghamshire Terriers County First 10 May 1999 Approved 
			 Buckinghamshire Downley Middle 12 January 2000 Approved 
			 Buckinghamshire Heights First 12 January 2000 Approved 
			 Calderdale Brooksbank 1 July 1998 Approved 
			 Cheshire St. James CE Junior 30 November 1998 Approved 
			 Cheshire Colshaw CP 30 June 1999 Approved 
			 Cheshire Westlands High 17 November 1999 Approved 
			 Cheshire Manor Park Infant 27 November 2000 Approved 
			 Cheshire Brookside County Infant 5 February 2001 Approved 
			 Croydon Haling Manor High 4 January 1999 Approved 
			 Derbyshire Noel Baker Community 2 November 1998 Approved 
			 Derbyshire Western Mere 2 February 1999 Approved 
			 Derbyshire Pingle 26 July 2000 Approved 
			 Devon Highweek Primary 17 August 1999 Approved 
			 Dorset Fosters 7 December 1998 Approved 
			 Dudley Colley Lane Primary 11 October 2001 Approved 
			 Dudley Summerhill Secondary 11 October 2001 Approved 
			 Durham The Avenue Comprehensive 19 May 1999 Approved 
			 Durham Westwood Primary 31 July 2000 Approved 
			 Essex The Stanway 17 November 1998 Approved 
			 Essex Moulsham High 18 January 1999 Approved 
			 Essex Oakview Special 10 April 2000 Approved 
			 Essex Tabor High 29 January 2001 Approved 
			 Gloucestershire Churchdown 3 December 1997 Approved 
			 Gloucestershire The Catholic School of St. Gregory the Great 26 July 1999 Approved 
			 Gloucestershire Oxstalls Community 25 November 1999 Approved 
			 Halton Ashley Special 6 November 1998 Approved 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Gibbs Green Special 8 March 1999 Approved 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Burlington Danes 16 March 1999 Approved 
			 Havering Frances Bardsley School for Girls 13 August 1999 Approved 
			 Kent St. Thomas' Special 12 May 1999 Approved 
			 Kent St. Simon Stock 13 December 1999 Approved 
			 Kent Allhallows Primary 12 July 2001 Approved 
			 Knowsley Sylvester 12 August 1999 Approved 
			 Lancashire St. Richards RC High 15 December 1998 Approved 
			 Lancashire St. Thomas Acquinas RC High 5 February 1999 Approved 
			 Lancashire Baines High 15 November 2000 Approved 
			 Leeds Lawnswood 21 November 2000 Approved 
			 Leeds Oakwood Primary 21 November 2000 Approved 
			 Leeds Roundhay 21 November 2000 Approved 
			 Leeds Wetherby High 19 September 2001 Approved 
			 Liverpool Childwall Comprehensive 9 April 2001 Approved 
			 Milton Keynes Denbigh 16 November 1998 Approved 
			 Milton Keynes Castles First 6 August 1999 Approved 
			 Norfolk Redgate Middle 12 April 2000 Approved 
			 North East Lincs Hereford Technology College 13 November 2000 Approved 
			 North Tyneside St. Mary's RC 22 December 1998 Approved 
			 North Yorkshire Settle CE Primary 20 November 1998 Approved 
			 Northamptonshire John Lea Secondary 14 August 2000 Approved 
			 Northumberland St. Benet Biscop RC Aided High 5 February 1999 Approved 
			 Northumberland Gallowhill Hall Special 18 February 2000 Approved 
			 Nottinghamshire Manor Comprehensive 14 April 2000 Approved 
			 Nottinghamshire Lincoln Street Infant 14 July 2000 Approved 
			 Oldham Kaskenmoor Secondary 29 October 1999 Approved 
			 Oxfordshire Wallingford 16 June 2000 Approved 
			 Peterborough The King's 8 May 1998 Rejected 
			 Peterborough Deacons 28 July 1998 Rejected 
			 Peterborough The King's 27 September 2000 Approved 
			 Rochdale Spring Hill High 7 May 1999 Approved 
			 Rochdale Middleton Technology 28 March 2001 Approved 
			 Sefton Litherland Moss County Primary 22 March 1999 Approved 
			 Shropshire Lower Grove 2 February 2001 Approved 
			 Somerset King Arthur's Comprehensive 24 March 1999 Approved 
			 Somerset Ladymead Comprehensive 6 April 1999 Approved 
			 Staffordshire Sir Graham Balfour High 25 June 1999 Approved 
			 Surrey Rosebery 6 January 1998 Approved 
			 Surrey Okewood District CE 30 November 1998 Approved 
			 Surrey Merland Rise CP 8 January 1999 Approved 
			 Surrey Banstead County Junior School and St. Anne's RC Primary 27 May 1999 Approved 
			 Surrey Park Mead Junior 8 March 2000 Approved 
			 Surrey Boxgrove Primary 13 April 2000 Approved 
			 Tameside Egerton Park High 17 January 2000 Approved 
			 Telford and Wrekin Blessed Robert Johnson 26 March 1999 Approved 
			 Wakefield South Elmsall Middle 10 December 1998 Approved 
			 Wakefield Kinsley First 13 January 1999 Approved 
			 Wakefield Kinsley First 30 July 1999 Approved 
			 Walsall Beacon 18 December 1998 Approved 
			 Walsall St. Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive 18 April 2001 Approved 
			 Warwickshire Attleborough First 11 December 1998 Approved 
			 Warwickshire Exhall First 21 July 1999 Approved 
			 Warwickshire Binley Woods First 3 August 1999 Approved 
			 Warwickshire Stratford-upon-Avon High 14 August 2000 Approved 
			 Warwickshire Marie Corelli 21 August 2000 Approved 
			 West Sussex Hazelwick 7 February 2000 Approved 
			 Wigan Hindley Borsdane Brook Special 11 February 1999 Approved 
			 Wigan Rose Hill Special 11 February 1999 Approved 
			 Wigan Tyldesley Highfield Special 11 February 1999 Approved 
			 Wigan Orrell Holgate Primary 4 December 2000 Approved 
			 Wiltshire Castle Combe Primary 7 August 2000 Approved 
			 Wolverhampton St. Peters Collegiate 25 November 1998 Approved 
			 Wolverhampton Aldersley High 4 December 1998 Approved 
			 Worcestershire Callowbrook First 6 November 2000 Approved 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Sports pitch' means areas of open grassed land which are equal to, or larger than, the Football Association's recommended area for games played by under-10s, that is 2,000 m
	(4) , and which have a configuration making them suitable for sports pitches (whether they are so laid out or not).
	2. The table excludes applications withdrawn by the applicant and applications where schools would retain the same, or a better, level of access to the same sports pitch or to an equivalent sports pitch.
	3. The table includes applications from grant-maintained schools, where the application was made under section 231 of the Education Act 1996 but the decision was made in accordance with the draft criteria and then the criteria published in Circular No. 3/99, The Protection of School Playing Fields. It also includes applications in respect of foundation and voluntary schools considered under Schedule 22 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 since 1 September 1999.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Audit Standards

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure UK compliance with the EU recommendation on standards for external quality assurance systems in statutory audit.

Patricia Hewitt: It may help if I set the context by first explaining our plans to ensure that there is a careful review of the UK's current regulatory practices for statutory audit and financial reporting, following the collapse of Enron in the US.
	The requirements in the UK are significantly different from the US in relation both to the relevant accounting standards and to the oversight and regulation of the audit profession. But it would be most unwise to conclude that problems of this sort could not arise in the UK; and it is right therefore to review arrangements carefully
	I am therefore setting up a group jointly with the Treasury, and including the Financial Services Authority and other regulators such as the Accountancy Foundation, to oversee and co-ordinate the response in the UK to these issues raised by the collapse of Enron. These include:
	whether the ethical standards of the professional audit bodies provide an adequate assurance on the independence of auditors, including the restrictions on the supply of non auditors, including the restrictions on the supply of non audit services
	whether there should be a requirement for the mandatory rotation of audit firms; or for the mandatory re-tendering for company audit
	whether current disclosures of audit and non audit fees in company accounts are adequate
	the role of Audit Committees in relation to the audit engagement
	the implications for accounting standards in the UK
	the implications for auditing standards in the UK.
	The Group will report on progress and emerging conclusions by the summer.
	At the same time I am also setting up an independent review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors in the UK. The review will report jointly to me and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I will provide further details of who is to lead the review and the terms of reference in due course.
	Together these reviews are aimed at:
	Ensuring that companies can fulfil their potential and improve productivity;
	Strengthening the UK's framework for how companies operate; and
	Encouraging greater transparency.
	The quality assurance systems for the statutory audit, both within and outside the audit firms, are an important part of the regulatory arrangements which give confidence in the audit process.
	The European Commission's Recommendation C(2000) 3304 of 15 November 2000 on "quality assurance for the statutory audit in the EU: minimum requirements" recommends that all persons carrying out statutory audits should be subject to a quality assurance system. The Recommendation sets out acceptable methodologies and covers topics such as review cycles, the scope of the review and the quality of the reviewer.
	The United Kingdom has an established system of monitoring of statutory company auditors, which was in place well before the Recommendation was adopted. The bodies recognised under the Companies Act 1989 to supervise registered auditors are required regularly to monitor the performance of audit firms or individual auditors registered with them. My Department asked the recognised supervisory bodies to review existing requirements against the detail of the Recommendation and to report the results. The arrangements were found to be broadly in line with the Recommendation. All audit firms and individual auditors are subject to regular review, including monitoring visits by independent reviewers, and those with public interest clients, such as listed companies, are subject to a higher frequency of coverage.

Post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the population of (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the United Kingdom live more than (i) five miles, (ii) 10 miles and (iii) 20 miles from a Crown post office.

Douglas Alexander: I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that in the United Kingdom with regard to proximity to a main Post Office branch, 79 per cent. of the population live within five miles, 93 per cent. of the population live within ten miles and 99 per cent. of the population live within 25 miles. Figures are not available on an individual country basis.

Post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the population of (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the United Kingdom live more than (i) two miles, (ii) five miles and (iii) 10 miles from a sub post office.

Douglas Alexander: I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that in the United Kingdom with regard to proximity to a sub post office, 99 per cent. of the population live within two miles and 100 per cent. of the population live within five miles and, therefore, within 10 miles. Figures are not available on an individual country basis.

Energy Technologies

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action has been taken as a result of her Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Department of Energy in relation to new and renewable energy technologies.

Brian Wilson: I have nothing further to add to the answer given to the hon. Member on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 525W.

CHP

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department will take to ensure CHP is excluded from the obligation base for the Government's renewable energy obligation.

Brian Wilson: I have nothing further to add to the answer given to the hon. Member on 12 February 2002, Official Report, column 292W.

Hairdressers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the regulations governing hairdressers in other EU countries.

Melanie Johnson: None.

Car Block Exemption

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when she will lay the European Draft Regulation on the Car Block Exemption before Parliament;
	(2)  when she expects the draft Regulation on the Car Block Exemption to be adopted and published by the European Commission; what the length is of the consultation period to be held; who will be consulted; and what form the consultation will take.

Melanie Johnson: The European Commission adopted a draft regulation on 5 February, and communicated it in confidence to member states. Following an initial discussion with member states on 7 March, the Commission will publish the draft on its website and in the "Official Journal of the European Communities". The consultation period will be not less than one month. As well as member states, the Commission will also formally consult the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee, and will invite any other interested parties to submit their views.

Bogus Billing

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take action to deal with bogus billing for entries in business directories.

Melanie Johnson: Companies are already afforded protection under the Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971 and the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988.
	Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading take enforcement action against bogus billing (in conjunction with their counterparts overseas, where necessary).
	For example, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has investigated complaints about the European City Guide and this has led to the cancellation of some 400 contested invoices. The OFT is also pursuing complaints about the tour and travel guide with the relevant authorities in Liechtenstein.

Domestic Subsidies

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the timetable is for implementation of the commitment reached at the Doha ministerial meeting on trade of November 2001 to cut export and trade-distorting domestic subsidies.

Patricia Hewitt: The reference to export and trade- distorting subsidies can be found in the section of the fourth Ministerial declaration relating to agriculture. The negotiations on agriculture form part of the single undertaking in which virtually all the linked negotiations are to end by 1 January 2005. The mandate given by the Doha declaration also includes a series of interim deadlines.
	The negotiations on agriculture began in early 2000. Further key dates are 31 March 2003, when formulas and other "modalities" for countries' commitments are to be submitted, and the fifth ministerial conference in 2003, by which date countries are to have submitted comprehensive draft commitments.

Unsolicited Mail

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts on measures to curb the posting of offensive and unsolicited mail to the UK from other EU countries.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 25 February 2002
	The Department's officials work closely with enforcement bodies, such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), who work with their European counterparts on unsolicited mail.
	The ASA supervises the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion and works with national and international regulators. The ASA liaises with the European Advertising Standards Alliance for action with the regulatory body.
	Since 1 June 2001, Stop Now Orders have provided a stronger mechanism for enforcing consumer protection legislation emanating from the European Directive. This includes laws on advertising. These Orders enable OFT and other specified UK qualified entities to act against businesses elsewhere in the EU, where their activities are harming the 'collective interests of consumers'. The OFT is working closely with counterparts in other Member States to establish the most effective means of acting against cross-border infringements within Europe.
	Unsolicited mail which is indecent or obscene under the terms of the Protection of Children Act 1978 or the Obscene Publications Act 1955 is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Cashpoints

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1072W, on cashpoints, if she will list the sub-post offices where the (a) maintenance and (b) stocking of ATM machines is carried out by the sub-postmaster.

Patricia Hewitt: For reasons of security, Post Office Limited do not make available this information.

Crown Post Offices

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 612W, on Crown post offices, if the Crown Office network ran at a profit in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I understand from Post Office Limited that full independent audited accounts do not exist for that part of the overall post office network comprised of directly managed Crown offices for the years listed. However, estimates which allocate cost and income to this part of the network, such as those made by the PIU for 1998–99, would suggest that this part of the network ran at a loss over those years.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Parliamentary Questions

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the questions tabled on 4 February 2002 by the hon. Member for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr.

Denis MacShane: The hon. Member received a reply to his question on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 566–67W.

Health and Safety (Computers)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees in his Department who regularly use computers have taken up the provision of a free eye test; and how this service is advertised to (a) current and (b) new staff.

Ben Bradshaw: The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, effective January 1993, require employers to provide and pay for, upon request from an employee, an eye and eyesight test. There is a requirement for further tests at regular intervals; the optometrist doing the first test can recommend when the next one should be. In addition, employers must pay the cost of special spectacles where normal ones cannot be used.
	This service is advertised to all new entrants during their induction training, is posted on the FCO intranet site and is described in our Code of Management. In 2001, 216 staff in the UK were reimbursed the cost of DSE eye tests.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of popular support for the special autonomy arrangements introduced by the Indonesian Government to Aceh and Papua.

Ben Bradshaw: The Special Autonomy legislation which came into effect for the provinces of Aceh and Papua on 1 January has received a mixed welcome. The UK Government believe the legislation offers a positive opportunity to the people of Aceh and Papua, and urges all elements of society in the two provinces to work together to implement the legislation in a constructive spirit to the benefit of all concerned.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely impact on human rights of the decision of the Government of Indonesia to establish a new military command in Aceh.

Ben Bradshaw: The Indonesian Government believe the re-establishment of the Aceh military command will lead to improved accountability for the security forces and security in the province through improved communication. Any moves to increase accountability and reduce lawlessness in the province should be welcomed. We continue to impress on the Indonesian authorities the importance of upholding and promoting human rights throughout the country. On 18 February the British Ambassador in Jakarta raised our concerns about reports that the Indonesian Government intended to 'crush' the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) by military force with Co-ordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesia

Iain Luke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Indonesian Government on loss of life and displacement of people in the Moluccan Islands and Sulawesi.

Ben Bradshaw: We welcome the recent agreements brokered by the Indonesian Government between the warring factions in both Maluku and Sulawesi to end the fighting.
	The UK's message to the Indonesian Government is clear and consistent: a long-term solution to regional conflicts can be achieved only through political negotiation and consultation with the people. Together with our European partners we are in regular, top-level dialogue with the Indonesian Government, and urge them to maintain law and order and promote reconciliation in areas of conflict. The most recent direct contact was when our Chargé d'Affaires in Jakarta called on Manuel Kaisiepo, the Minister for Eastern Indonesia, on 29 November 2001.

Gibraltar

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next round of talks under the terms of the Brussels process will take place.

Peter Hain: A further meeting under the Brussels process will be held in due course. The date is yet to be fixed. Our aim remains to conclude a comprehensive agreement before the summer.

Gibraltar

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional powers of self-government for the people of Gibraltar are being discussed with the Government of Spain during the Brussels process.

Peter Hain: Discussions under the Brussels process are aimed at overcoming all the differences between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar and at promoting co-operation on a mutually beneficial basis. In the context of an agreed Joint Declaration our objective is a future where Gibraltar can enjoy enhanced powers of self-government, allowing its Government and population to have a greater say in their lives.

Gibraltar

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will allow the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to attend talks under the Brussels process with the right to veto proposals.

Peter Hain: We have invited the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to participate in the Brussels process on the basis of the two flags, three voices formula, having his own and distinct voice as part of the British delegation.
	We have made it clear that any proposals emerging from the Brussels process would be implemented only in the event of an affirmative vote by the people of Gibraltar in a referendum.

Gibraltar

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what rules govern the composition of the delegation of the Chief Minister of Gibraltar attending talks under the Brussels process.

Peter Hain: We have invited the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to participate in the Brussels process on the basis of the two flags, three voices formula, having his own and distinct voice as part of the British delegation.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical benefits for Gibraltar have been discussed during the talks under the Brussels process between the Governments of Britain and Spain.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the copy of the joint communiqué from the Brussels process meeting in London on 4 February that was placed in the Library.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to invite the Governments of Spain and Gibraltar to talks under terms other than those defined under the Brussels process.

Peter Hain: We continue to regard the Brussels Process as offering the best prospects for overcoming all the differences between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar, including issues of mutually beneficial co-operation, and sovereignty.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Spain about the right of the people of Gibraltar to self-determination.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the Foreign Secretary's answer to him on 5 February 2002, Official Report, columns 738–39.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy that a bilateral agreement between Britain and Spain on the future status of Gibraltar will be (a) invalidated and (b) suspended if rejected in a referendum by the people of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Sir Teddy Taylor) on 31 January 2002, Official Report, column 151WH.

Gibraltar

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement of 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 748, to which Treaty of Utrecht 1713 he referred.

Peter Hain: The treaty which provides for the cession of Gibraltar to the English Crown in its Article X was the treaty of peace and friendship between England and Spain signed at Utrecht on 13 July 1713.

Gibraltar

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is responsible for devising and implementing fiscal policies in Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: Under the 1969 Gibraltar Constitution, the Governor of Gibraltar retains certain powers in relation to the maintenance of financial and economic stability. Day-to-day control for the financial business of the Government of Gibraltar, including the collection of taxes, duties, licences and fees, etc., lies with the Financial and Development Secretary, who liaises closely with relevant Ministers of the Government of Gibraltar. The Assembly is responsible for the authorisation of expenditure and taxation measures.

Gibraltar

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason Ministers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not accept an invitation to attend the Government of Gibraltar's talks on their constitution.

Peter Hain: I wrote to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, in his capacity as Chairman of the House of Assembly Select Committee for Constitutional Reform, on 30 November inviting the members of the Select Committee to London for discussions on constitutional reform. They did not take up the invitation.

Gibraltar

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the European Commission on financial aid for Gibraltar resulting from an agreement between Britain and Spain on the future status of Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: We have kept the Commission informed in broad terms of our ongoing discussions with Spain within the Brussels process, and in that context have touched on how a possible settlement might impact on opportunities for additional funding in the region.

Gibraltar

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Spain has identified to him the practical benefits to Gibraltar of proposals on joint sovereignty.

Peter Hain: At the Brussels process meeting in London on 4 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Spanish Foreign Minister confirmed their shared aim of overcoming all differences over Gibraltar, including issues of mutually beneficial co-operation, and sovereignty.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the copy of the joint communiqué from the 4 February meeting that was placed in the Library.

Gibraltar

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guarantees the Government of Spain has given to preserve the Gibraltar way of life during talks on the future status of Gibraltar; and how these would be implemented.

Peter Hain: The UK and Spanish Governments have confirmed that under the Brussels process our shared aim is to overcome our differences over Gibraltar and to ensure a secure future for Gibraltar in which Gibraltar can preserve its way of life and traditions, enjoy greater internal self-government, sustain and enhance its prosperity, and reap the full benefits of a harmonious and mutually beneficial co-operation in all fields together with the wider region.

Gibraltar

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is regarding the right of self-determination for the people of Gibraltar in relation to Article 1 of the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.

Peter Hain: Her Majesty's Government support the right or principle of self-determination. It must be exercised in accordance with other principles and rights in the Charter of the United Nations and with other treaty obligations. In Gibraltar's case that includes Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht.

Gibraltar

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he and (b) his Ministers next plan to visit Gibraltar.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the Foreign Secretary's answer to the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Patrick Cormack) on 14 January 2002, Official Report, columns 28–29.

Gibraltar

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed the possibility of taking the status of Gibraltar to the International Court of Justice with representatives of the Government of Spain.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 10 December 2001, Official Report, column 632W.

Iran

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Iran's refusal to accept David Reddaway as Britain's new ambassador.

Ben Bradshaw: We regret Iran's refusal to accept David Reddaway as our ambassador to Tehran. The absence of an ambassador in Tehran will obviously inhibit the extent to which we are able to engage the Iranian authorities.

Iran

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Britain's relations with Iran.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK, through critical engagement, aims to support reform in Iran while maintaining a robust dialogue on issues of concern. Iran's refusal to accept David Reddaway as our ambassador has however had an impact on the conduct of our bilateral relations.

Indo-UK Peacekeeping Seminar

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent Indo-UK peacekeeping seminar held in India.

Ben Bradshaw: The Indo-UK seminar on peacekeeping was held at the Centre for UN peacekeeping in New Delhi on 7 to 8 February 2002. The seminar followed on from a Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre hosted seminar in Shrivenham in March 2001. Peacekeeping operations are an area in which both India and the UK have a wealth of experience to share. Both sides are keen to maintain a regular dialogue on the conceptual and operational aspects of UN peacekeeping operations.

Spain

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he and (b) his Ministers next plan to visit Spain.

Peter Hain: The Foreign Secretary and I will accompany the Prime Minister to the Barcelona European Council from 15 to 16 March. My noble Friend Baroness Symons plans to attend an EU Trade Ministers meeting in Toledo on 18 March and the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), will attend a conference in Granada on 28 February.

Non-Proliferation Treaty Review

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government are planning to put forward to the preparatory meeting of the non-proliferation treaty review in April, in respect of the management of (a) surplus stockpiled fissile material and (b) fissile material obtained from decommissioned nuclear warheads.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK continues to support the statement in the final document of the 2000 non- proliferation treaty review conference that one of the practical steps for a systematic and progressive effort to implement Article VI of the treaty is
	" . . . arrangements by all the nuclear weapons states to place, as soon as practicable, fissile material designated by each of them as no longer required for military purposes under IAEA and or other relevant international verification and arrangements for the disposition of such material for peaceful purposes, to ensure that such material remains permanently outside military programmes."
	The UK has already placed the vast majority of the fissile material it declared under the Strategic Defence Review as no longer required for defence purposes under Euratom and IAEA safeguards. The UK has also indicated its readiness to contribute £70 million over 10 years to support the US/Russian plutonium disposition agreement, under which each side will dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium.

South Pacific Islands

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) embassies, (b) high commissions, (c) consulates and (d) trade and investment offices his Department has in (i) the Federated States of Micronesia, (ii) the Solomon Islands, (iii) the Marshall Islands, (iv) Nauru, (v) Kiribati, (vi) Tuvalu, (vii) Vanuatu, (viii) Fiji, (ix) Tonga, (x) Palau and (xi) Samoa; what the staff numbers are for each; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK has High Commission offices in Fiji, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, and also in Papua New Guinea. The number of staff (including both UK-based and locally engaged staff) in each is as follows.
	
		
			 
		
		
			 Fiji 18 
			 Kiribati 1 
			 Papua New Guinea 12 
			 Solomon Islands 6 
			 Tonga 4 
			 Vanuatu 9(5) 
		
	
	(5) Three part-time.
	The Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu are covered by our High Commission in Fiji, and Samoa by our High Commission in Wellington.
	We value our links with the island states of the South Pacific and are committed to working with them, particularly where we have resident representation, towards enhanced economic sustainability and governance, and stronger civil society. Our opening of a High Commission office in Kiribati in January has strengthened our ability to do this.

FCO Telecommunications Network

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answers of 12 February 2002, Official Report, columns 162–63W, on the FCO Telecommunications network, at how many missions the Foreign and Commonwealth Office telecommunications network has installed both telephone systems and network connections; what progress was made in the first two weeks of February 2002 towards the target for February 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office telecommunications network (FTN) provides two main services for our Diplomatic missions overseas. One is connection to a telecommunications network; the second is the provision of a telephone system (PBX). Progress with implementation of these services against the February target is as shown:
	
		
			  Telephone systems Network connections Total installation 
		
		
			 Target for February 2002 7 13 20 
			 Installations achieved 1–14 February 2002 3 7 10 
			 On target for February 2002? Yes Yes Yes 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Telephone system installed at Los Angeles Consulate-General, Doha Visa Section and Doha Embassy.
	2. Network connections to posts at Tel Aviv, Bucharest, Athens, Barcelona, Alicante, Bilbao and Lisbon.

Argentina

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he has taken to protect British interests affected by the financial crisis in Argentina.

Denis MacShane: The Government are concerned about the situation in Argentina and are in regular touch with those British companies affected. We want Argentina to deal with foreign investors transparently and without discrimination. We are pressing the Argentine Government to do this, through the IMF and the EU, as well as through our Embassy in Buenos Aires. Qualifying British investments in Argentina are protected by certain safeguards under the UK/Argentina Investment, Promotion and Protection Agreement, which provides a mechanism for companies to resolve disputes with the Argentine authorities, should the need arise.

Taliban Prisoners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what status has been applied to UK citizens detained in Cuba for alleged Taliban and al-Qaeda activities.

Ben Bradshaw: It is for the US as the detaining power in the first instance to take a view on status depending on the facts of each individual case. The US authorities said in their statement of 7 February that they have no doubt that the Taliban and al-Qaeda detainees are not prisoners of war, and that the Geneva Convention requires a tribunal only where there is any doubt.
	They also confirmed that, notwithstanding the question of status, all detainees would continue to be treated humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva conventions.

Taliban Prisoners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances he will confirm the names of UK citizens as being held in (a) Cuba and (b) Afghanistan for alleged associations with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Ben Bradshaw: The names of UK nationals detained in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay are confirmed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office only when we are satisfied that the information is correct and the next of kin have been informed.

LNM Group

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed of the attempt by the LNM Group to acquire Sidex.

Peter Hain: The Secretary of State's Private Office were informed of LNM's bid on 19 July 2001 when routinely processing the draft letter for the Prime Minister to send to the Romanian Prime Minister. The Secretary of State learnt of it himself when being briefed for the 5–8 November 2001 visit to the UK of the Romanian Prime Minister.

LNM Group

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he assesses the national interest in deciding whether to support attempts by companies or individuals to acquire assets overseas; which other Ministers are consulted during that assessment; and (a) whether and (b) how such an assessment was made of the attempt by the LNM Group to acquire Sidex.

Denis MacShane: Each case is considered on its merits, in conjunction with other Departments where appropriate. Such consideration will take account of the overall potential benefit to the UK, including its effect on British commercial, economic and foreign policy interests. This approach applied to the acquisition by the LNM Group of Sidex.

Sierra Leone

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent changes there have been in United Nations sanctions in relation to Sierra Leone.

Peter Hain: UN Security Council resolution 1385 (2001) was adopted on 19 December 2001.
	The resolution extends for a further 11 months the mandatory UN embargo on the export of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone originally imposed for a period of 18 months by UNSCR 1306 (2000) of 5 July 2000.
	Diamonds certified under the Government of Sierra Leone certification scheme continue to remain exempt from the embargo.
	The UK originally played a leading role in promoting 1306 in the UN Security Council. It continues to support measures aimed at breaking the link between conflict and the illicit trade in rough diamonds.
	The embargo is implemented in the UK and the Isle of Man by means of an amendment to the Open General Licence, effected on 17 July 2000, and in the Channel Islands and Overseas Territories by Orders in Council under the United Nations Act 1946 (S.I. Nos 1822/2000 and 1840/2000).

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to change the departmental expenditure limits and administration costs limits for 2001–02.

Denis MacShane: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Foreign and Commonwealth DEL will be increased by £32,584,000 from £1,362,704,000 to £1,395,288,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £34,335,000 from £634,598,000 to £668,933,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:
	
		£000 
		
			  Resources Capital 
		
		
			 Change 32,600 -16 
			 New DEL 1,268,738 126,550 
			 of which:   
			 Voted 1,100,856 103,050 
			 Non-voted 167,882 23,500 
		
	
	The change in the resources element of DEL arises from:
	(i) an increase of £965,000 in respect of take up of EYF;
	(ii) an increase of £9,462,000 in respect of an adjustment for Overseas Price Movements;
	(iii) a net increase of £10,000,000 as a result of a Reserve Claim for 11 September related activity;
	(iv) a PES transfer to the Ministry of Defence of £1,154,000 in respect of British Defence Staff in Washington;
	(v) an increase of £18,944,000 to reflect transfers from capital to improve budgetary flexibility;
	(vi) an increase of £2,330,000 relating to a successful bid against the Reserve for funds to tackle organised crime;
	(vii) a PES transfer to the Department for International Development of £8,061,000 in respect of funding arrangements on the Conflict Prevention pool;
	(viii) a decrease in the FCO's Resource DEL of £5,743,000 to reflect a corresponding overspend on the FCO's Resource DEL last financial year;
	(ix) a PES transfer from the Ministry of Defence of £125,000 relating to funding for Ascension Island;
	(x) a PES transfer to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of £2,000,000 towards the cost of mounting the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester;
	(xi) an increase in £2,145,000 in the FCO's departmental unallocated pool for Conflict Prevention to reflect an increase in funding levels;
	(xii) a PES transfer from the Department for International Development of £18,837,000 to reflect revisions to funding arrangements for Conflict Prevention;
	(xiii) a PES transfer to the Ministry of Defence of £15,000,000 to reflect revisions to funding arrangements for Conflict Prevention;
	(xiv) a PES transfer from the Department for International Development of £1,750,000 to reflect revisions for funding arrangements for Conflict Prevention.
	The change in the capital element of DEL arises from:
	(i) an increase of £1,200,000 to Capital to reflect a successful bid against the Capital Modernisation Fund;
	(ii) an increase of £828,000 in respect of an adjustment for Overseas Price Movements;
	(iii) an increase of £16,900,000 as a result of a Reserve Claim for September 11 related activity;
	(iv) a decrease of £18,944,000 to reflect transfers from capital to resource in order to improve budgetary flexibility.
	The increases will be offset by inter-departmental transfers and will not impact on the planned total of public expenditure.

Zimbabwe

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sanctions the EU has imposed against Zimbabwe.

Peter Hain: On 18 February the General Affairs Council (GAC) of the European Union decided to implement targeted sanctions against the Government of Zimbabwe. The GAC expressed serious concern at continuing political violence, serious violations of human rights and restrictions on the media in Zimbabwe which call into question the prospects for a free and fair presidential election on 9–10 March 2002. The GAC noted that the Government of Zimbabwe had objected to having nationals of six EU member states accredited as observers for the forthcoming elections and refused to accredit the EU Chief Observer, Ambassador Pierre Schori.
	The measures adopted are carefully targeted. They comprise:
	(i) a travel ban to apply to Robert Mugabe and to 19 members of his inner circle;
	(ii) an asset freeze to apply to the same individuals;
	(iii) an embargo on the sale or supply of arms to Zimbabwe;
	(iv) an embargo on the provisions of technical assistance and training relating to arms;
	(v) an embargo on the sale or supply to Zimbabwe of equipment which might be used for internal repression.
	The travel ban has been implemented by administrative means pending an order under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.
	The UK already has an arms embargo in place against Zimbabwe imposed on 3 May 2000 in respect of all applications for new licences for the export to Zimbabwe of goods and technology listed in part III, schedule 1, of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended (commonly known as the Military List).
	The asset freeze, the embargo on the provision of technical assistance and training relating to arms and the embargo on the sale or supply to Zimbabwe of equipment which might be used for internal repression fall within Community competence. These measures are implemented by an EC regulation which is directly applicable in the UK. The regulation came into force on 21 February 2002, the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 will be passed to impose penalties for infringements of the regulation as required.
	Copies of the Common Position and regulation listing those subject to the asset freeze and travel ban can be found on the European Union website: www.europa.eu.int.

Romania

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on ministerial intervention in commercial negotiations between (a) large, (b) intermediate-sized and (c) small private companies and Romania.

Denis MacShane: Each case is considered on its merits in terms of the overall potential benefit to UK business and to the UK economy. A number of factors will be relevant in considering this, including whether the company is incorporated or registered in Britain, whether the company has a UK address, whether a company is UK controlled or owned, whether it employs people in the UK, whether it has a UK-manufactured product or service, and whether there are wider benefits for the UK, eg in terms of increased access to overseas markets, increased employment or increased competitiveness.

WORK AND PENSIONS

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to improve the performance of the new deal for young people in helping participants from non-white ethnic minority groups to obtain sustained jobs.

Nick Brown: New deal is pro-active in the promotion of equality of opportunity and outcome for people of all ethnic groups. In November 1998, we published a Strategy for Engaging Ethnic Minorities which looked at ways to identify and overcome the barriers to ethnic minority young people, providers and businesses participating in new deal. Action plans supporting the strategy are reviewed every six months.
	The National Employment Panel's Minority Ethnic Advisory Group (MEAG) advises the Department for Work and Pensions on increasing the effectiveness of the new deal for ethnic minority clients. Additionally we work with groups such as the Black Training and Enterprise Group, the Commission for Racial Equality and local Racial Equality Councils in developing tools to assist staff in engaging with ethnic minority clients.
	We are investing £15 million in new outreach services for people from ethnic minorities in some of the country's most deprived urban areas. The outreach service, to be launched in April, will explore different ways jobless people from ethnic minority communities can be helped through the new deal or specialist training.

State Second Pension

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evidence he has collated to assess the relative attractiveness of (a) contracting out of the state second pension scheme and (b) remaining within it for those with average earnings of (a) 75 per cent., (b) 100 per cent. and (c) 125 per cent. of national average earnings.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 6 February 2002
	In making any decision about pensions, individuals may consider both present earnings and their future prospects. In general we expect that contracting out will be the best option for most people but individuals will need to make choices that are appropriate to their current needs and aspirations for the future.

Benefit Payments (Hospital Stays)

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of reductions to (a) pensions and (b) other benefits made after a patient has been in hospital for over six weeks in each of the last five years; and how many patients have been affected by reductions to (i) pensions and (ii) benefits in each of the past five years.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	
		£ million 
		
			   Incapacity benefit Retirement pension Severe disablement allowance 
		
		
			  Reduction in benefit with six to 52 weeks hospital downrating in place 
			 1996–97 *5 22 2 
			 1997–98 *5 22 3 
			 1998–99 *5 24 3 
			 1999–2000 *6 26 3 
			 2000–01 *5 28 4 
			 
			  Reduction in benefit with over 52 weeks hospital downrating in place 
			 1996–97 *7 37 25 
			 1997–98 *8 33 24 
			 1998–99 *8 32 23 
			 1999–2000 *8 30 23 
			 2000–01 *9 29 21 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The information has been obtained from a number of administrative sources and a number of assumptions have been made, ie numbers marked * are taken from a small number of sample cases and are subject to a relatively high sampling error and should be used only as an indication of the current situation and it has been assumed that figures in a given quarter remain constant throughout the year.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest million.
	3. It is not possible to provide accurate total reductions for income support, housing benefit, or council tax benefit.
	4. The figures are given in cash terms.

Correspondence

James Cran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when a substantive reply will be given to Mrs. G. Twizell's letter of 23 November 2001, concerning the bereavement allowance.

Malcolm Wicks: I replied to the hon. Member on 20 February.

Correspondence

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will make a substantive reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Thurrock dated 29 January and 5 February, concerning his constituent, Andrew Palmer of East Tilbury.

Malcolm Wicks: I replied to my hon. Friend on 20 February.

Disability Service Teams

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the budget for disability service teams; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Disability service teams will become an integral part of Jobcentre Plus from April. We are investing significantly in the development of Jobcentre Plus and its services, including services for disabled people.

Pension Credit

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether pensioner tax credit will serve as a qualifying benefit for warm front grants.

Ian McCartney: Subject to the agreement of the devolved Administrations and parliamentary scrutiny of the State Pension Credit Bill, it is intended that Pension Credit will serve as a qualifying benefit for warm front grants.

Minimum Income Guarantee (Cleethorpes)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners he estimates are claiming the minimum income guarantee in the Cleethorpes constituency.

Ian McCartney: As at August 2001, there are 3,000 minimum income guarantee claimants in the parliamentary constituency of Cleethorpes.

Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken (a) to identify appropriate indicators for securing safe and sustainable pensions by the spring Council meeting in Barcelona and (b) to develop a national strategy report by September; and what plans he has to promote public participation in this process.

Ian McCartney: Discussion on the possibility of developing pension indicators is being taken forward by the Economic Policy Committee and Social Protection Committee as part of their remit for taking work forward on objectives for safe and sustainable pension systems. The UK takes a full part in this work. We are also discussing with the Commission the best format for the national strategy reports that will outline the approaches of member states to meeting the objectives that have been agreed. The UK response will draw on the extensive public consultations on pension developments that have already taken place.

Benefit Fraud (North Lanarkshire)

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of North Lanarkshire council.

Malcolm Wicks: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of North Lanarkshire council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
	BFI Inspectors found that North Lanarkshire council is a poor performing authority that needs to make significant improvements to raise standards in almost every aspect of its benefits administration and counter fraud work. The report notes a lack of awareness of what constitutes a safe and secure benefits service at the council, despite an annual expenditure of more than £95 million on housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	Inspectors noted that the council was using three different types of claim form and considered that none of them was up to standard. They recommend that North Lanarkshire introduces a single claim form based upon the national BFI model. This is seen as vital to help claimants to provide all the supporting evidence needed for a claim to be worked out accurately from the start.
	The report identifies weaknesses in a number of areas including the monitoring and control of benefit periods, the renewal of claims, and the way that the council deals with changes of circumstances to prevent overpayments. The council did not have a policy covering overpayments of benefit and had no management controls to show that overpayments were being dealt with correctly.
	Inspectors also express concern over the council's benefit security procedures. They found that none of the key British Safety standards on security controls were being met. Inspectors consider that North Lanarkshire's benefits service is highly vulnerable to internal fraud.
	The council's counter fraud policy was not being managed effectively. The report finds that the counter fraud team did not have enough staff to cope with the volume of work. Also, training and management direction was inadequate. Weaknesses were found in the council's IT security procedures, particularly on the standards of information security. The quality of investigative work was poor and inspectors considered that the council did not do enough to prevent fraud nor to deter repeat offenders. 80 per cent. of investigations examined by inspectors were found to be incomplete. Concern was also expressed in the report that the council did not refer cases to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.
	The report concludes that the council was not effectively managing the administration of benefit or the risks from fraud. Key benefits related policies that were needed to provide clear direction to staff and stakeholders were not in place and a management information system was inadequate.
	The report makes recommendations to help the council address weaknesses and to improve the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit, as well as counter fraud activities.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

Pension Schemes Act

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the general and compensation levies payable under the Pension Schemes Act 1993 by occupational and personal pension schemes.

Ian McCartney: There will be no increase in the General Levy rates for 2002–03. Rates will remain at the 2000–01 level as set out in the table. Levy receipts are buoyant due to the growth in the number of members for which the levy is payable. Although Opra's costs have increased and it will have added responsibilities for regulating speeding up the winding up of pension schemes in 2002–03, there will be sufficient funding without increasing the General Levy rates.
	Although some payments have been made out of the pension compensation fund, it will not be necessary to raise a Compensation Levy in 2002–03.
	
		Scheme rates -- £
		
			 Scheme size Basis 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Minimum payment per scheme(6) 
		
		
			 Occupational pensions   
			 2 to 11 Scheme 11.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 — 
			 12 to 99 Member 1.20 1.25 1.25 1.25 — 
			 100 to 999 Member 0.85 0.90 0.90 0.90 125 
			 1,000 to 4,999 Member 0.69 0.70 0.70 0.70 900 
			 5,000 to 9,999 Member 0.53 0.53 0.53 0.53 3,500 
			 10,000+ Member 0.37 0.37 0.37 0.37 5,300 
			
			 Personal pensions   
			 2 to 11 Scheme 3.75 5.20 5.20 5.20 — 
			 12 to 99 Member 0.35 0.50 0.50 0.50 — 
			 100 to 999 Member 0.25 0.35 0.35 0.35 50 
			 1,000 to 4,999 Member 0.20 0.30 0.30 0.30 350 
			 5,000 to 9,999 Member 0.15 0.20 0.20 0.20 1,500 
			 10,000+ Member 0.10 0.15 0.15 0.15 2,000 
		
	
	(6) Minimum payments ensure that schemes in the lower bands do not pay more overall than those the higher bands

Child Support

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the change in the average payment made in child support maintenance by the non-resident parent that will result from the April 2002 scheme for (a) one child, (b) two children and (c) three children.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to make firm estimates of the change to the average payment of child support maintenance as a result of the introduction of the new child support scheme. While it is expected that there will be a rise in the levels of compliance, this cannot be quantified with sufficient precision.

Child Support

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the role and responsibilities of Alexis Cleveland in respect of the Child Support Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: Alexis Cleveland, as Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, has no responsibility for the Child Support Agency—Doug Smith is the Child Support Agency's Chief Executive.

Child Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to take into account the contribution to a stakeholder pension of the partner of a non-resident parent in calculating the assessment under the new CSA formula.

Malcolm Wicks: The income of a non-resident parent's partner will not be taken into account in the new CSA calculation. The partner's contribution to a stakeholder pension will therefore also be irrelevant.

Child Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice is given to clients who apply to the CSA before April; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The CSA has written to existing clients with a live maintenance assessment in place informing them of the introduction of the new child support scheme for new cases, and of the implications for their case. The same information will be provided to new applicants when they receive notification of their maintenance assessment.

Child Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what transitional arrangements will be put in place for clients who face large adjustments in payments when transferring to the new CSA system; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: To give parents who have existing child support assessments time to adjust to the new amounts, child support liability will be phased over a period of five years and in stages of £2.50, £5 or £10, depending on the non-resident parent's net weekly income.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the five-year European Union action plan to encourage co-operation to combat social exclusion includes measures to help those with mental health problems.

Malcolm Wicks: The EU Action Programme to Combat Social Exclusion will make 75 million euro available over a five-year period to support various transnational activities with a view to improving:
	Analysis of characteristics, processes, causes and trends in social exclusion;
	Policy co-operation and exchange of information and best practices; and
	Participation and support for EU-level networking.
	The range of activities potentially eligible for support is very broad, in line with the multidimensional nature of poverty and social exclusion. The Commission and the Member States have acknowledged that mental health is an important issue for many people experiencing social exclusion. Accordingly, support from the Action Programme may be available for partnerships with an interest in mental health issues working across several Member States to tackle social exclusion. Support will be subject to a bidding process.

Industrial Action

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years.

Ian McCartney: The information is in the table:
	
		
			  Agency/body Staff days lost 
		
		
			 1998—Department of Social Security Headquarters Nil 
			  Benefits Agency 8.5 
			  Child Support Agency Nil 
			  Information Technology Service Agency Nil 
			  War Pensions Agency(7) Nil 
			  Contributions Agency(8) Nil 
			  Independent Tribunal Service Nil 
			  Independent Statutory Bodies Nil 
			 1999—Department of Social Security Headquarters Nil 
			  Benefits Agency Nil 
			  Child Support Agency Nil 
			  Information Technology Services Agency Nil 
			  Contributions Agency Nil 
			  War Pensions Agency Nil 
			  Independent Tribunal Service Nil 
			  Independent Statutory Bodies Nil 
			 2000—Department of Social Security Headquarters Nil 
			  Benefits Agency Nil 
			  Child Support Agency Nil 
			  War Pensions Agency Nil 
			  The Appeal Service Nil 
			  Independent Statutory Bodies Nil 
			 2001—Department for Work and Pensions Corporate Centre Nil 
			  Benefits Agency/Employment Service(9) 154,928(10) 
			  The Appeals Service Nil 
			  Independent Statutory Bodies Nil 
		
	
	(7) The War Pensions Agency transferred to the Ministry of Defence June 2001.
	(8) The Contributions Agency transferred to the Inland Revenue April 1999.
	(9) Before 2001 the Employment Service was part of the then Department for Education and Employment. Figures for these years will form part of the response from the Department for Education and Skills.
	(10) All but 37 days relate to a single dispute.

City of London Corporation (Events)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those functions, engagements and events which Ministers, his officials and advisers have attended which have been sponsored, funded, promoted and hosted by the City of London Corporation since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: Information of this kind is not readily available and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost to this Department. Attendance at events, engagements and functions by Ministers is undertaken in line with the guidance and principles set out in the Ministerial Code.

Child Benefit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of telephone inquiries from members of the public to child benefit centres are charged at premium telephone call rates.

Malcolm Wicks: None of the Child Benefit Centre's customers is charged at premium rate.

Child Benefit

Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that, when shared residency orders are granted by the courts, child benefit can be divided accordingly, in line with the amount of time the child spends with each parent; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Child Benefit is a universal benefit paid as a contribution towards the cost of bringing up a child. It is normally awarded to the person with whom the child is living.
	Only one person can be entitled to Child Benefit for a particular child. Where the care of a child is shared between two parents, and the child spends time with each, both may claim the benefit. In some cases, the parties may choose which shall be entitled to the Child Benefit. Where agreement cannot be reached, legislation allows the Secretary of State to determine who shall be entitled. His decision will take account of a wide range of factors including any residency order.

Golden Jubilee

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what events (a) he is and (b) other Ministers in his Department are planning to attend as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations; and what events his Department is planning to arrange to celebrate the Golden Jubilee.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 4 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport gave on 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 1204W.

Benefits (Overpayment)

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases claimants have withheld consent to the exercise of the power to deduct overpaid (a) child benefit and (b) guardians allowance from other benefits under section 71(8) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

Malcolm Wicks: The exercise of power under Section 71(8) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 permits recovery of overpaid benefits without consent. An overpayment of Child Benefit or Guardians Allowance may therefore be recovered from other benefits providing payment is being made to the same claimant.

Benefits (Overpayment)

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases overpaid (a) child benefit and (b) guardians allowance has been deducted from other benefits in each year since 1992 under the provisions of section 71(8) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992; and what the total value is of the overpaid (i) child benefit and (ii) guardians allowance so deducted.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is not available in the format requested.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HIV

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will encourage pharmaceutical companies 
	(1)  to make antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV more affordable;
	(2)  to allow non-exclusive voluntary licences to be made available for generic antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV.

Clare Short: The Working Group on Access to Medicines, which I chair and which brings together UK Government, pharmaceuticals and others is looking at options for bringing about widespread, sustainable and predictable differential pricing of medicines for the poor, including antiretrovirals. We are encouraging key partners—pharmaceutical industry, developing countries, donors, and international organisations—to play their part in bringing this about.
	Officials from the Working Group are currently considering what detailed arrangements to recommend, including a consideration of non-exclusive voluntary licensing of antiretrovirals and other drugs. The Working Group will have a final meeting on this issue in May. It will give a progress report and make recommendations to the Prime Minister.
	In order to protect incentives for future research and development, any new arrangements would need to be consistent with the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and the Doha declaration on trade and public health.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Gambling Review

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to make an announcement on her Department's preferred proposals from the Gambling Review; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 814W.

Sports Clubs

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Government plans to make sports clubs VAT exempt.

Richard Caborn: There are already some VAT exemptions in place for sport: playing services provided by non-profit making clubs, lettings of sports and physical recreation facilities to all types of providers, and entry fees to sports and physical recreation competitions. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport received representations from the Central Council of Physical Recreation last year asking that a reduced VAT rate be introduced for the use of sporting facilities and for admission to sporting events. As with all proposals for tax reform the Government will need to consider full and detailed evidence of costs and benefits before taking any decision on additional VAT exemptions.

Athletes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what further action she is taking to improve sports medicine facilities for athletes.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 758W.
	In addition to this he will wish to note that over £180 million of lottery money is being committed to develop the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) to provide athletes with modern facilities which will include world class sports science and medicine facilities. Many of these facilities are now up and running and the UKSI is able to offer a wide range of services including biomechanics, massage, nutrition, medical consultation and screening programmes to elite athletes in the UK.
	The UKSI has set up a number of programmes to ensure that elite athletes stay healthy, recover quickly and remain fit. These include the Athlete medical scheme, run in partnership with the British Olympic Committee, which provides access to medical consultations and treatments. There are currently over 1,000 athletes on the scheme.
	The UKSI central services team is currently auditing the sports medicine support services in UK Sport's priority 1 and 2 sports. The findings of this audit will enable the development of a sports medicine strategy for each priority sport.
	UKSI is also developing a sports medicine mentoring programme, currently being trialed by the Scottish Institute of Sport, which will provide training and development opportunities for sports medicine professionals.

Correspondence

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: We do not hold this information in the format requested. We aim to reply to all departmental correspondence within 18 working days and our performance for the past five years is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage of replies issued within 18 working days of receipt 
		
		
			 1997–98 68 
			 1998–99 71 
			 1999–2000 81 
			 2000–01 85 
			 2001–02(11) 90 
		
	
	(11) To date

TREASURY

Pensions (Tax Relief)

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of allowing tax relief on pension contributions at the standard rate of income tax, regardless of the actual tax rate of the contributions.

Ruth Kelly: The estimated full year yield from restricting income tax relief on pension contributions by employees and the self-employed in 2001–02 is £1.7 billion, and on contributions by employers £2.6 billion. These estimates take no account of the behavioural effects which are likely to result from such changes.

Secondments

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were seconded between (a) PWC Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen and his Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) April 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Deputy Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Perth (Annabelle Ewing) on 26 February 2002.

Public Service Agreements

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which units in the Treasury are responsible for monitoring public service agreements; how many people they each employ; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Smith: The 13 teams and one central team in the Treasury with responsibility for departmental expenditure policies also monitor public service agreements. There are around 180 staff in these teams, though not all the people concerned have responsibility for PSA monitoring.

Public Service Agreements

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department holds a record of the performance of each Government Department against their public service agreement targets; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Smith: Yes. Departments report publicly against their PSA targets in their departmental reports.

Standing Committee on Euro Preparations

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 589W, on the Standing Committee on Euro Preparations, if he will place the membership list of the working groups working with the Standing Committee in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The organisation and membership of working groups working with the Chancellor's Standing Committee on Euro Preparations were listed in the second Outline National Changeover Plan, published in March 2000. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

ECOFIN (Scottish Administration)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason no devolved Administration Minister attended the 2407 European Union Council of Ministers (ECOFIN) meeting on 12 February; what suggestions and matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation; and what information and evidence is being provided by him to permit post-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Ruth Kelly: Ministers from the devolved Administrations attend Council meetings whenever appropriate. Decisions on attendance are taken by the lead UK Minister on a case-by-case basis.
	The hon. Gentleman will be aware that, under the Scotland Act 1998, fiscal, economic and monetary policy—in other words matters dealt with by ECOFIN Council—is reserved for Westminster. As such, parliamentary scrutiny is achieved through the Commons European Scrutiny Committee—of which the hon. Gentleman is a member—and through the House of Lords European Union Committee.

Company Cars

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many company car drivers whose employers have supplied the Inland Revenue with correct information have been issued with incorrectly calculated coding notices in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many renewal coding notices the Inland Revenue plans to issue to company car drivers before 30 March.

Paul Boateng: The recent problems which have led to some individuals' car benefit figure for 2002–03 being calculated are the only known instance where information properly submitted by employers has not been correctly used to calculate coding notices. We believe that up to 280,000 cases are affected. In all cases the Revenue will send a correct coding notice before the start of the tax year.
	As at the end of December, the Inland Revenue had not received the relevant information for approximately 1.2 million company car drivers and therefore had to estimate the amount of car benefit for 2002–03. By early March all of those taxpayers will have received a leaflet asking for the necessary information to correctly calculate their tax code. The number of these revised coding notices issued before the new tax year will depend upon the rate of response to the requests.

Company Cars

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has collated on whether the changes to company car taxation due to come into force on 6 April have influenced companies' choices of cars.

Paul Boateng: The Inland Revenue will comprehensively evaluate the effects of the changes to company car taxation applying from 6 April. The Revenue will begin this evaluation after the changes have been introduced, and the work will include an assessment of the effects on employers' and employees' choices of cars.

Coalition Against Terrorism

Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the United Kingdom of the coalition against terrorism; and what estimate has been made of its future and continuing costs.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	Additional operating costs up to the end of December 2001 were £65.3 million.
	As was announced yesterday as part of our presentation of spring Supplementary Estimates to the House, we estimate the total cost of operations in Afghanistan up to the end of March 2002 to be some £261 million. This figure includes the cost of munitions consumed and represents the additional cost of operations over and above the cost of planned activities.
	We constantly review our continuing commitment and will inform Parliament of our initial estimate for 2002–03 as early in the financial year as we can. As announced yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has already agreed to provide a further £55 million for urgent operational requirements. This is in addition to the £100 million announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his pre-Budget statement on 27 November 2001.

Vehicle Seizures

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized by HM Customs and Excise in the past 12 months; what the comparable figures were in each of the previous three years; and what the total value of the items seized from persons and vehicles at the borders with France in the past 12 months was.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of vehicles seized across the whole of the UK in 1997–98, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 1998, Official Report, column 274. For the number of vehicles seized across the UK in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 124W. Figures for the number of vehicles seized by Customs across the UK during 2000–01 are contained in the Government's response to the independent report by John Roques into "The Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (House of commons command 5329, July 2001), a copy of which was placed in the Library on 19 July 2001.
	Customs do not centrally retain figures on the value of goods and vehicles seized at the borders with France.

Bankruptcy

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will examine what recompense exists for those people who have recently declared bankrupt who have been offered further credit by organisations in the knowledge that they are dealing with bankrupts.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 26 February 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	No recompense is available to bankrupts simple as a result of being offered credit by organisations in the knowledge that they are dealing with bankrupts. A bankrupt is guilty of an offence if, either alone or jointly with any other person, he obtains credit to the extent of the prescribed amount (currently £250 or more) without informing the person from whom the credit is obtained of his bankrupt status. If credit is obtained after disclosure of the relevant information no offence is committed.

Bankruptcy

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what safeguards exist to protect people in the process of being declared bankrupt from being harassed by money- lending organisations.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 26 February 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	At any time after a bankruptcy petition has been presented or a bankruptcy order has been made the court can impose a stay on any action or legal process against the property or person of the debtor. After a bankruptcy order has been made no creditor has any remedy against the property or person of the debtor in respect of a debt provable in the bankruptcy. There is nothing to prevent the offering of loans to people in such financial difficulty.

Finance (No. 2 ) Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the studies that his Department has undertaken of the efficacy of sections 42 and 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Film production benefits comprise two accelerated tax reliefs, section 42 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 and section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997. The Inland Revenue is currently evaluating their efficacy in stimulating additional film production.

Finance (No. 2 ) Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the Exchequer cost of sections 42 and 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997 for the three fiscal years from April 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Film production benefits from two accelerated tax reliefs, section 42 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 and Section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997. The estimated tax cost of relief provided to British qualifying films under section 48 is £85 million for films produced in 1999–2000. Section 48 was extended for a period of three years in Finance Act 2001 and the tax cost of the relief for films was estimated at an average of £90 million a year to 2004–05. The tax cost of section 42 relief is estimated to be an additional £70 million a year.

Self-assessment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 31 October 2000, Official Report, column 412W, on tax returns and the internet, for each month since 1 July 2001 how many self-assessment tax returns were (a) issued, (b) received, (c) waiting to be processed and (d) processed; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The statistical data requested are as follows:
	
		Tax year 2000–01
		
			  Self-assessment income tax returns  
			 Date Issued Received Processed Waiting to be processed 
		
		
			 1 July 2001 8,940,513 1,323,115 864,497 458,618 
			 29 July 2001 8,990,292 1,943,901 1,350,597 593,304 
			 2 September 2001 8,989,043 2,798,153 1,966,795 831,358 
			 30 September 2001 9,152,255 4,241,952 2,677,145 1,564,807 
			 4 November 2001 8,842,560 4,682,767 3,421,658 1,261,109 
			 2 December 2001 9,360,099 5,383,846 4,436,261 947,585 
			 30 December 2001 9,299,623 5,745,572 4,839,285 906,287 
			 3 February 2002 9,552,433 8,362,361 5,848,319 2,514,042

Self-assessment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate (a) HM Treasury and (b) Inland Revenue have made of the average time it takes to fill out a self-assessment form; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue does not have information about the average time it takes to fill out a self-assessment return but we carry out usability testing as part of the development process.

Betting Taxation

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a list of the companies that responded to the consultation launched on betting taxation in the 2000 Budget; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government publication "Our Stake in The Future", which was placed in the Library on 7 March 2001, contains a list of the respondents.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Senior Lawyers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of time was spent by senior lawyers in (a) administration and management and (b) considering cases and advocacy in the latest year for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	The CPS does not collect data on the time individual senior lawyers spend on administrative and management functions and on file review and advocacy duties.
	The CPS is implementing the recommendations of Sir Iain Glidewell in his review of the CPS published in 1998 and is well advanced in setting up a new organisational structure based on Criminal Justice Units and Trial Units. A senior lawyer supported by a business manager heads each of these operational units. This mirrors the relationship at area level between the Chief Crown Prosecutor and the Area Business Manager, and at national level between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief Executive. The role of the business manager is to manage the unit's administrative and business processes, thus releasing the senior lawyer to focus on a personal portfolio of the more serious cases, leadership, criminal justice liaison and line management of the prosecutors in the unit.

CPS Staff (Training)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the training programmes available for CPS staff indicating the latest participation rates; which training providers are used; and if they are quality assured.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	The range and providers of training programmes available to CPS staff and the numbers who have attended are shown in the table. The numbers trained are for the current year, from April 2001 to the date of preparation of this answer (26 February 2002).
	Where external providers supply training, quality is monitored throughout the duration of the programme by means of evaluation reports and observation of the external providers by CPS Training and Development Managers or internal project managers. Regular meetings are held with the providers to discuss quality issues as they arise and all tutors are required to provide a CV and references prior to being engaged.
	
		Training from April 2001—present
		
			  Status  Course title Duration (days)  Target Group  Provider Numbers trained 
		
		
			 Regional  
			 Development Selection Interviewing 4 Selection panellists (B1 or above) CPS 91 
			 Development Business Writing Skills 1 Administrative staff Plain Language Commission 30 
			 Development Completing Application Forms 0.5 All staff CPS 43 
			 Development Effective Communication — All CPS 52 
			 Development Job Holder Awareness — New staff CPS 95 
			 Development EFQM — Unit heads and service centre managers — 50 
			   
			 National  
			 Development Diversity 1 or 2 All staff Ionan 4,500 
			 Development Influencing and Negotiation Skills 2 ABMs/senior managers JSB 30 
			 Development Project Management 2 ABMs/senior managers Invicta Training 60 
			   
			 Regional  
			 Legal Firearms — Lawyers CPS 11 
			 Legal Advocacy — Lawyers CPS 81 
			 Legal Homicide 2 Lawyers CPS 23 
			 Legal Drafting Indictments 2 Lawyers and caseworkers CPS 36 
			 Legal Handling Complaints Against the Police — Lawyers CPS 16 
			 Legal Identification — Lawyers CPS 70 
			 Legal RIPA — Lawyers CPS 24 
			 Legal Misuse of Drugs — Lawyers CPS 28 
			 Legal Disclosure — Lawyers CPS 100 
			 Legal Fraud — Lawyers CPS 19 
			 Legal Child Abuse — Lawyers CPS 20 
			 Legal ECHR — Lawyers CPS 84 
			 Legal Victim and Witness Care 1 or 0.5 Casework and administrative staff CPS 16 
			   
			 National  
			 Legal Legal Trainee Scheme — — Compulsory courses—several providers including LPS, Inns of Court and Central Law Training 34 
			 Legal Youth Offenders 2 Lawyers—youth specialists CPS Lawyer tutors 464 
			 Legal Higher Court Advocacy 6 Barristers/Lawyers Assessed by Nottingham Law School (CPS Tutors) 7 
			 Legal Graduated Fees 2 All Lawyers and caseworkers CPS 523 
			 Legal Direct Communication with Victims and Witnesses 3 Lawyers and Victim Information Bureau staff CPS and Focus Consultancy trainers 983 
			   
			 Regional  
			 Management Disciplinary Handling 2 All Managers CPS 86 
			 Management Managing Attendance 1 All Managers CPS 114 
			 Management Introductory Management — New Managers CPS 72 
			 Management Managing Performance Indicators — Managers CPS 103 
			 Management Handling Complaints of Discrimination 1 Managers CPS 40 
			 Management Manager as Developer — Managers CPS 24 
			 Management Case Management Plans — Managers CPS 18 
			 Management Performance Appraisal Reporting 3 All Managers CPS 98 
			 National  
			 Management Employment Law 1 Area Business Managers/Senior Managers JSB 65 
			 Management Performance Management 2 Senior Managers CPS Training 242 
			 Management Managing and Leading Change 3 Unit Heads Actors in Management/Consultant 53 
			 Management Leadership Development Programme 5 Chief Crown Prosecutors Ashridge Business College 47 
			   
			 Regional  
			 Vocational Induction — New staff CPS 229 
			 Vocational Training for Trainers — — CPS 91 
			 Vocational Welsh Language — Lawyers CPS 8 
			 Vocational Manual Handling — Facilities staff CPS 19 
			   
			 National  
			 Vocational Resource Accounting — Area Business Managers and Finance Staff CMPS (12)— 
			 Vocational Induction—Lawyers and caseworkers — All new Lawyers and caseworkers CPS 400 
			 Vocational Certificate in Criminal Prosecution Distance Learning New casework staff ILEX Tutorial College 455 
			 Vocational Diploma in Criminal Prosecution Distance Learning Experienced casework staff ILEX Tutorial College 72 
			 Vocational Stress Management—Dealing with Traumatic Cases — Lawyers/Caseworkers Margaret Sharp (Qualified Psychologist) 30 
			 Vocational Designated Caseworker 10 Internal selection CPS Lawyer tutors; assessment by the College of Law 32 
			 Vocational IiP Internal Assessors Workshop 2 Training Managers and service centre staff Crane Davies/The Development Partnership 40 
		
	
	(12) Figure unavailable

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how often members of the Crown Prosecution Service have met the family of someone killed as a result of a crime to explain their decision on prosecution, broken down by region, in each year since the inception of this initiative.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 25 February 2002
	One of the responsibilities of the Crown Prosecution Service under the current Victims' Charter, published 1996, is to meet on request the family of someone killed as a result of a crime, to explain decisions about prosecutions.
	The figures for the number of such meetings held are collated each year and published in the Crown Prosecution Service's Annual Report. They are also submitted annually to the inter-agency Victims' Steering Group, which is charged with monitoring the Charter Standards for which the respective criminal justice agencies are responsible. Monitoring of the Charter Standards began in 1997.
	In 1997–98, the Crown Prosecution Service records show that 100 per cent. of requests for meetings were granted. However, further statistics for that period are not available.
	In the following year, 83 requests were received and all were granted. All meetings were held, with the exception of one which was cancelled at the request of the victim's family.
	In 1999–2000, 102 requests were received and 101 granted, and meetings held in all these cases. One request was refused as the person making the request was a pivotal prosecution witness in two related cases that were ongoing, and it was not considered that a meeting would be appropriate.
	In 2000–01, 118 requests were received, all of which were granted, and all meetings were held.
	Figures for 2001–02 are not yet available but will be published in the forthcoming Annual Report.
	A breakdown of the figures by area is as follows:
	
		Victim's Charter monitoring—standard 9 -- 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999
		
			 Area Requests for interview Number granted 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 3 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 2 
			 Cheshire 0 0 
			 Cleveland 2 2 
			 Cumbria 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 3 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 
			 Dorset 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 1 
			 Essex 3 3 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 9 9 
			 Gwent 1 1 
			 Hampshire 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 2 2 
			 Humber 0 0 
			 Kent 1 1 
			 Lancashire 3 3 
			 Leicestershire 2 2 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 
			 London 11 11 
			 Merseyside 2 2 
			 Norfolk 3 3 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 3 3 
			 Northumbria 4 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 
			 South Wales 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Staffordshire See entry for West Midlands  
			 Suffolk 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 
			 Sussex 7 7 
			 Thames Valley 6 6 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 5 5 
			 West Midlands 1 1 
			 West Yorkshire 4 4 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 
			 Central Casework 1 1 
			  
			 Total 83 83 
		
	
	
		1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000
		
			 Area Requests for interview Number granted 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 4 4 
			 Bedfordshire 6 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 1 
			 Cheshire 4 4 
			 Cleveland 2 2 
			 Cumbria 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 
			 Dorset 0 0 
			 Durham 1 1 
			 Dyfed Powys 3 3 
			 Essex 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 7 7 
			 Greater Manchester 8 8 
			 Gwent 1 1 
			 Hampshire 1 1 
			 Hertfordshire 3 3 
			 Humber 0 0 
			 Kent 1 1 
			 Lancashire 2 2 
			 Leicestershire 6 6 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 
			 London 9 9 
			 Merseyside 4 4 
			 Norfolk 1 1 
			 Northamptonshire 3 3 
			 North Wales 6 6 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Northumbria 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 1 
			 South Wales 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 2 2 
			 Suffolk 2 2 
			 Surrey 1 1 
			 Sussex 7 6 
			 Thames Valley 2 2 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 
			 West Mercia 4 3 
			 West Midlands 1 1 
			 West Yorkshire 1 1 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 
			 Central Casework 3 3 
			  
			 Total 102 101 
		
	
	
		1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001
		
			 Area Requests for interview Number granted 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 1 1 
			 Bedfordshire 4 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 1 
			 Cheshire 3 3 
			 Cleveland 3 3 
			 Cumbria 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3 3 
			 Dorset 1 1 
			 Durham 3 3 
			 Dyfed Powys 2 2 
			 Essex 2 2 
			 Gloucestershire 3 3 
			 Greater Manchester 2 2 
			 Gwent 3 3 
			 Hampshire 3 3 
			 Hertfordshire 4 4 
			 Humber 0 0 
			 Kent 2 2 
			 Lancashire 2 2 
			 Leicestershire 4 4 
			 Lincolnshire 2 2 
			 London 7 7 
			 Merseyside 6 6 
			 Norfolk 1 1 
			 Northamptonshire 4 4 
			 North Wales 4 4 
			 North Yorkshire 1 1 
			 Northumbria 5 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 2 
			 South Wales 3 3 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 2 2 
			 Suffolk 4 4 
			 Surrey 6 6 
			 Sussex 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 8 8 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 5 5 
			 West Midlands 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 5 5 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 
			 Central Casework 5 5 
			  
			 Total 118 118

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what quality standards each Crown Prosecution Service region supports; and when registration was obtained.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	The CPS supports the Investment in People quality standard.
	All CPS areas apart from CPS London, and HQ Directorates have been recognised as meeting the Investors in People quality standard for training and development of employees.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Correspondence

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she will reply to the correspondence from the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed dated (a) 2 May and 18 July relating to representations from McCreath, Simpson and Prentice Ltd., (b) 25 May and 17 July relating to representations from Mr. Lindsay of Anglo-Scottish Pest Control and (c) 23 May and 17 July relating to Mr. Walton on the loss of income from grass park letting;
	(2)  pursuant to the Under-Secretary's holding reply of 15 October 2001, when she will reply to the letters relating to representations from (a) Mr. Lindsay of Anglo-Scottish Pest Control dated 25 May and 17 July and (b) McCreath, Simpson and Prentice Ltd. dated 2 May and 18 July.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 15 October and 3 December 2001
	A response to the right hon. Member's letters of 2 May and 18 July was sent on 6 February 2002, to letters of 25 May and 17 July on 29 November 2001, and to letters of 23 May and 17 July on 1 January 2002.

Correspondence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 25 July from the hon. Member for North Shropshire concerning the importing of BSE via cattle from Poland.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 November 2001
	A response to the hon. Member's letter of 2 (not 25) July 2001 was sent on 5 February 2002.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the statutory instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals.

Elliot Morley: In the 2001 calendar year, DEFRA/MAFF has made 526 Statutory instruments (SIs). A full list and purpose of each instrument is available through the HMSO SI registrar, which can be found at (siregistrar@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk).
	Due to the very large number of SIs made, the breakdown of individual purposes and costings could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Regulatory Impact Assessments for regulations imposing a cost or benefit are published on the Department's website and are available in the Libraries of the House.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list for 1997–98 and each subsequent financial year the amount spent by (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons; if she will list the proportion of this cost incurred in respect of (x) food and (y) alcohol in each case; and if she will list the average cost per hotel room or similar unit of accommodation provided in each case.

Elliot Morley: The Department has only been in existence since June 2001, so does not have such historical information. Producing figures for the current year to the level of detail required would involve disproportionate cost.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, including the current year to date, the amount spent by (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on (i) food and (ii) alcohol, indicating how much was spent on guests, and how much in respect of (A) Ministers and (B) staff, broken down to show how much was provided directly by her Department and how much reclaimed.

Elliot Morley: The Department has only been in existence since June 2001, so does not have such historical information. Producing figures for the current year to the level of detail required would involve disproportionate cost.

Peat Extraction

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to protect lowland raised bog habitats at Thorne and Hatfield Moors in South Yorkshire and Wedholme Flow in Cumbria.

Michael Meacher: I confirmed this morning that terms have been agreed to cease large-scale commercial peat working at Thorne Moor and Wedholme immediately and to phase it out over the next three years at Hatfield Moor. This has been achieved as a consequence of negotiations between English Nature and the major operator on the sites, Scotts Ltd. Upon satisfactory completion of contract Government will provide £17.3 million to English Nature to buy out existing peat extraction consents and to buy the sites. The arrangements include measures to safeguard employment and to re-deploy effort towards restoration of the sites and the development of peat alternatives.

Organic Farming

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organic farms there were in each constituency in each year since 1990.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	We do not hold the information requested. However, statistics showing the growth of organic production in the UK since 1993, by land area and number of holdings and a list of individual producers, processors and importers of organic products are being made available to the Libraries of the House.

Environmental Sustainability

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she proposes to take to improve Britain's ranking on the World Economic Forum's Environmental Sustainability Index;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the recent report of the World Economic Forum on Environmental Sustainability and its findings relating to the UK.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 26 February 2002
	In its Strategy for sustainable development for the UK, 'A better quality of life' published in 1999, the Government established 15 headline indicators (and a core set of around 135 indicators) to measure progress towards sustainable development by the country as a whole. The first review, 'Achieving a better quality of life', Government annual report 2000, was published in January 2001 and the second annual review will be published shortly. Looked at as a set, the 15 headline indicators can be seen as a "Quality of life barometer".
	The Government decided against aggregating indicators along the lines of the World Economic Forum's Environmental Sustainability Index. Such indices may be useful as tools to raise awareness but their choice of components, and the way in which they are weighted together, is largely subjective. A different choice of components, or of weights, would give wholly different results and hence the resulting measures are potentially misleading. This is aptly illustrated by the fact that the World Economic Forum's choice of components last year resulted in the UK being ranked 16th in the world in the same Index, as opposed to 91st this year.
	The Government believe that the headline indicators established by the 1999 Strategy present an alternative, more transparent and comprehensive picture than any aggregated measure.

Job Sharing

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are employed in her Department on a job share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months.

Elliot Morley: There are currently 83 people employed in DEFRA on job share contract. Although vacant positions are not generally advertised on such a specific basis, applications are always welcomed from those wishing to work on a part-time or job share basis. It is departmental policy, as an equal opportunity employer, to meet requests for all types of flexible working, including part-time working and job sharing, wherever the nature of the work allows.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to what extent Government Departments have achieved the target of a 1 per cent. per annum reduction in greenhouse gas emissions against the 1990–2000 levels.

Michael Meacher: The Government have set the following target: "all departments to contribute towards the Government Estate target of a 1% p.a. on-going reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings". The data for the first year to which the target applies (2000–01) are not yet available, but I will make the data available as soon as possible.

Combined Heat and Power

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the (a) location and (b) number of CHP units operating on the Government estate, broken down by the different fuel used within these units.

Michael Meacher: There are four combined heat and power installations on the Government Civil Estate in England, which are all gas fired. They are located at:
	Whitehall District Heating Scheme, (based in MOD) Whitehall, London;
	Ashdown House, London;
	Eland House, London; and
	Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, Surrey.
	There are also 10 gas fired CHP installations at UK RAF stations.
	The Department for Education and Skills building at Moorfoot, Sheffield, is connected to the Sheffield heat and power network which uses the municipal waste incinerator as its source of energy.
	Investigations are currently in progress covering the utilisation of CHP technology for a number of other buildings. This could be either by installing CHP units or joining existing heat networks. Progress is partly dependent upon the expiry date for their current energy contracts.

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the estimated operational costs are for the Department's quality assessment programme for combined heat and power in financial year 2001–02;
	(2)  what costs were incurred in setting up her Department's quality assessment programme for combined heat and power to 31 March 2001.

Michael Meacher: The costs incurred in setting up and running the combined heat and power quality assurance programme (CHPQA) to 31 March 2001 was around £765,000. The anticipated operational costs of the CHPQA for 2001–02 is around £625,000.

Departmental Staff

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many overseas visits have been undertaken by parliamentary private secretaries in her Department at departmental expense in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 February 2002
	Since the creation of DEFRA on 8 June 2001, no overseas visits have been undertaken by parliamentary private secretaries at departmental expense.

Waste

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Greater London waste has been recycled in each of the last three years.

Michael Meacher: Based on estimates from the Department's Municipal Waste Management Survey, the amounts of municipal waste collected for recycling or composting in Greater London are listed:
	
		
			 Year Thousand tonnes 
		
		
			 1997–98 237,000 
			 1998–99 273,000 
			 1999–2000 383,000 
		
	
	Note:
	2000–01 data are currently being collected from local authorities.
	Information, including the amounts of industrial and commercial waste, for Greater London is published in Strategic Waste Management Assessment 2000: London, Environment Agency. Data are available for one year only and based on estimates from the Environment Agency's National Waste Production Survey.
	
		Industrial and commercial waste 1998
		
			 Waste management method Thousand tonnes 
		
		
			 Land recovery 52,000 
			 Re-used 90,000 
			 Recycled 2,364,000

Waste

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in the reduction of London's municipal waste by 3.7 million tonnes by 2020.

Michael Meacher: The latest available figures, from the Department's municipal waste management survey, indicate that London produced approximately 4.4 million tonnes of municipal waste in 1999/2000. This figure was approximately 3.8 million tonnes in 1996/97, 4 million tonnes in 1997/98 and 4.1 million tonnes in 1998/99. 2000/01 data are currently being collated from local authorities.
	It is of course up to individual waste authorities to promote waste minimisation and to develop minimisation schemes. However, I understand that the Mayor's municipal waste management strategy for London (currently in draft form) recognises this problem of growth in waste and emphasises the importance of reducing the amount of waste London produces.
	The Government encourage all waste authorities to reduce the amount of waste produced and waste minimisation is at the top of the waste hierarchy, as set out in the Government's Waste Strategy 2000.
	The spending review 2000 provided a ring-fenced grant of £140 million, for two years, for local authority waste management and this funding will be targeted at recycling and minimisation schemes. The Government have consulted on the method for distribution of this fund and responses to the consultation are currently being considered. I will be making an announcement on the final structure of the fund shortly.
	The new opportunities fund has also set aside £49.5 million of lottery money for community sector waste minimisation, reuse and recycling programmes in the UK.

Waste

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards greater self-sufficiency in dealing with London's waste;
	(2)  what plans are in place to minimise the transportation of waste in London.

Michael Meacher: It is for individual waste authorities to determine how and where their waste is disposed of. At present, much of London's waste is transported outside London for disposal at landfill sites. However, I understand that the Mayor's Municipal Waste Management Strategy (currently in draft form) proposed to address this issue, by looking at the current waste disposal facilities in London, and assessing what new facilities are required, with the aim of greater self-sufficiency for London in relation to waste, and maximised recycling and composting.
	Greater self-sufficiency and increased recycling and composting will mean that less waste needs to be transported outside London. Where waste does need to be transported, the Mayor's draft strategy proposes to encourage the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as rail, river and canal.
	The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 stressed the importance of waste being dealt with as close to its source as possible. All waste authorities are encouraged to take this 'proximity principle' into account and to reduce transportation of waste, wherever possible, when developing their municipal waste management strategies.
	In March 2001 the then DETR issued Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies to all local authorities. This advised that opportunities for using forms of transport other than road haulage be considered by authorities. This guidance also made authorities aware of the Freight Grant schemes, administered by DTLR, which aim to encourage the use of inland waterways and maritime freight, as opposed to road transport.

Waste

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the extent to which local recycling initiatives are affected by the expansion of the waste incineration industry.

Michael Meacher: The department has not commissioned such research. Local authorities have a responsibility to plan waste treatment and disposal. Waste Strategy 2000 set targets for recycling and composting of household waste in England and Wales, and in March 2001 we introduced statutory performance standards for local authorities in England.
	Where a local authority or company proposes a waste incineration facility, our policy is that it should be small enough that it does not act as a disincentive to increased recycling, and should not undermine the achievement of the statutory recycling targets that have been allocated.
	Under the guidance we issued in September 2000 for Private Finance Initiative projects, proposals which include incineration must also demonstrate that all opportunities for recycling have been considered first, and that the arrangements proposed will not produce a barrier to the longer term development of recycling.

Veterinary Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the size of the State Veterinary Service.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 26 February 2002
	The Government are determined to ensure that the State Veterinary Service (SVS) has the ability to operate with maximum efficiency and be able to respond rapidly to any emergency. As from 3 December 2001 the Chief Veterinary Officer, as Director General of Animal Health and Welfare, has taken command of the Veterinary Policy Unit, together with the Animal Health Group and the TSE Directorate. The SVS Field Service has transferred to the command of the Director General of Operations and Service Delivery.
	The Structure of the SVS Field Service is currently the same as in July 2001 but we are in the process of creating a new Animal Health Divisional Office at Newcastle. This will bring the total number of Animal Health Divisions to 24.
	We have recently appointed 36 new permanent veterinary staff and further appointments are in the pipeline which will bring the SVS up to its full complement of veterinary staff.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much is owed by her Department to auctioneers and valuers in Scotland in respect of work undertaken in controlling and compensating FMD losses; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 February 2002
	There have been no further developments since the reply I gave the hon. Member on 17 December 2001, Official Report, column 146W.

Foot and Mouth

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those landfill sites used for (a) carcase disposal and (b) ash disposal following the foot and mouth outbreak; if she will list those sites where carcases and ash are to be removed and to where; and what the costs are of this removal and redisposal.

Elliot Morley: From our records 16 landfill sites were used during the 2001 FMD outbreak to dispose of FMD carcases. These are as follows.
	1. Cwmni Gwastraf Mon Afon, Wales
	2. Poplars Landfill, Staffordshire
	3. Distington, Cumbria
	4. Hespin Wood, Cumbria
	5. Flusco, Cumbria
	6. Deep Moor, Devon
	7. Chapmans Well, Durham
	8. Port Clarence, Middlesbrough
	9. Warnham Brickworks, West Sussex
	10. Shakespeare Landfill Site, Isle of Grain, Kent
	11. Withnell, Lancashire
	12. Biffa Waste Disposal, West Midlands
	13. Viridor Waste Management, Wiltshire
	14. Cory Environmental (Glos.) Ltd., Gloucestershire
	15. Grundon Waste Ltd., Gloucestershire
	16. Mercia Waste Management Ltd., Worcestershire
	Our records indicate that seven landfill sites have been used to dispose of the ash created from the burning of carcases. These are as follows:
	1. Calvert, Buckinghamshire
	2. Bishops Cleeve, Gloucestershire
	3. Hespin Wood, Cumbria
	4. Lillyhall, Cumbria
	5. Wilnecote Landfill Site, Staffordshire
	6. County Environmental Services Ltd., Cornwall
	7. Roseland "Group" Lean Quarry, Cornwall.
	The Environment Agency has at the vast majority of burn sites given permission for the ash from pyres to be buried on site after an assessment of the risks to controlled waters. Where it is not possible to dispose of it in this way (eg because groundwater conditions are unsuitable and there is a risk of potassium or other leached salts entering surface or groundwater) the ash is being removed. DEFRA has to date removed ash from 160 sites with a further 10–12 sites programmed for removal, at a budgeted cost of £29.5 million.
	According to our records, carcases have been exhumed at two sites in Wales (including the mass burial site at Eppynt). Exhumed carcases were either burnt or rendered. There are no current plans to exhume carcases at other sites.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason hon. Members have not received a communication from the Lessons Learned foot and mouth inquiry; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I understand that the Lessons Learned inquiry has already begun writing to hon. Members whose constituencies form part of its programme of visits to areas of England, Scotland and Wales most affected by the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The inquiry Chairman is also extending an invitation to meet these hon. Members after his programme of visits has been completed in April. In addition, I understand the inquiry has offered to meet the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

Foot and Mouth

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance is issued by her Department to dairy farmers re-stocking livestock post-foot and mouth disease about the risks of spreading bovine tuberculosis.

Elliot Morley: The Chief Veterinary Officer wrote to all cattle keepers in England in October last year enclosing an advisory leaflet on how to minimise disease risk when restocking and replenishing cattle herds in the aftermath of foot and mouth disease. The leaflet "Golden Rules for a Healthy Herd" (www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/ farmers/recovery/cattle—restock.asp) set out advice for purchasers and vendors. Among other matters the letter from the Chief Veterinary Officer drew particular attention to tuberculosis in cattle and a specific leaflet "TB in Cattle: Reducing the Risk" (www.defra.gov.uk/ animalh/tb) was also enclosed.
	A further leaflet on keeping disease out of farms, "Farm Biosecurity Protecting Herd Health", is also available on the internet (www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb).

Milk

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the quality and hygiene restrictions imposed on milk imported to this country; what proportion of the imported milk is tested to ensure it complies to these regulations; and what volume of milk has been imported to the UK in each of the last 20 years.

Elliot Morley: All milk and milk products imported into the UK from other EU member states must have been produced in accordance with Community rules. Imports from third countries must have been produced to standards at least equivalent to those. Among other things, the legislation lays down the approval, structural, handling and enforcement requirements to be applied. In line with Community rules, random spot checks at destination may be carried out.
	Consignments of milk and milk products imported from third countries are subject to veterinary inspection on entering the EU to ensure that conditions of import have been complied with and that they have remained in a satisfactory condition during transport. This constitutes a documentary check on all imports from third countries, as well as physical checks on 50 per cent. of these.
	The amount of milk imported into the UK for each year from 1982 is as follows:
	
		UK imports of milk—1982–2001 -- Million litres
		
			  EC Non-EC 
		
		
			 1982 15.10 0.01 
			 1983 22.77 0.03 
			 1984 28.00 0.02 
			 1985 29.33 0.03 
			 1986 34.02 0.10 
			 1987 40.80 0.10 
			 1988 43.17 — 
			 1989 32.06 — 
			 1990 34.13 — 
			 1991 59.26 0.02 
			 1992 121.94 0.02 
			 1993 93.59 — 
			 1994 164.15 0.19 
			 1995 172.83 0.00 
			 1996 119.42 0.03 
			 1997 151.68 0.00 
			 1998 187.31 — 
			 1999 134.43 0.01 
			 2000 122.38 — 
			 2001(13) 85.23 — 
		
	
	(13) January to November
	Notes:
	1. Data for 1988–2001 refer to 'Milk and Cream of a fat content, by weight not exceeding 6 per cent.'
	2. Data for 1982–87 refer to 'Fresh Milk and Cream (including skimmed and buttermilk, sour milk and cream, whey, kephir and yoghurt)'
	3. As such, data for 1988–2001 and data for 1982–87 are not directly comparable.

Milk

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the end distribution of milk produced in the UK; and what proportion of milk was sold (a) in supermarkets and (b) on the doorstep in each of the last 20 years.

Elliot Morley: The Department does not collect data for milk sales by outlet. The Dairy Council estimates that around 69 per cent. of household purchases of liquid milk are now made in supermarkets and 23 per cent. from doorstep deliveries. 10 years ago doorstep deliveries accounted for around 61 per cent.

Farms

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farms, (b) dairy farms and (c) dairy cows there were in (i) the Ribble Valley and Fulwood constituency, ii) Lancashire, (iii) the North West of England, (iv) Wales and (v) the United Kingdom in each of the last 20 years.

Elliot Morley: Information in respect of the Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire, the North West Government Office Region and England are contained in the table. Figures for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are matters for the devolved authorities.
	
		
			 Year Total holdings 'Dairy' type holdings Holdings with dairy cows Total dairy cows 
		
		
			  (i) Ribble Valley constituency(14)  
			 1990 1,143 458 513 29,262 
			 1995 1,071 405 447 27,584 
			 2000 1,096 299 343 24,336 
			  
			 (ii) Lancashire 
			 1981 6,154 1,984 2,236 112,516 
			 1982 6,079 1,903 2,141 113,085 
			 1983 5,985 1,890 2,130 116,591 
			 1984 6,074 1,890 2,121 114,443 
			 1985 5,976 1,790 2,044 110,297 
			 1986 6,054 1,753 1,982 109,796 
			 1987 6,094 1,661 1,896 106,401 
			 1988 6,117 1,571 1,811 102,237 
			 1989 6,118 1,495 1,753 99,749 
			 1990 5,793 1,524 1,722 100,688 
			 1991 5,733 1,426 1,659 99,889 
			 1992 5,732 1,367 1,613 97,429 
			 1993 5,712 1,286 1,578 96,197 
			 1994 5,617 1,373 1,543 97,805 
			 1995 5,307 1,314 1,461 92,407 
			 1996 5,226 1,286 1,430 92,603 
			 1997 5,167 1,238 1,386 89,687 
			 1998 5,148 1,181 1,358 88,571 
			 1999 5,307 1,119 1,292 89,015 
			 2000 5,432 1,025 1,182 84,595 
			  
			  (iii) North West Government Office Region(15) 
			 1981 19,393 6,721 7,527 432,341 
			 1982 19,306 6,580 7,328 441,349 
			 1983 19,213 6,530 7,307 454,615 
			 1984 19,138 6,335 7,224 445,786 
			 1985 19,117 6,055 6,999 429,715 
			 1986 19,271 5,945 6,837 431,409 
			 1987 19,390 5,713 6,620 421,117 
			 1988 19,380 5,412 6,363 404,539 
			 1989 19,443 5,246 6,175 400,285 
			 1990 18,603 5,186 6,036 400,567 
			 1991 18,573 4,993 5,928 396,387 
			 1992 18,559 4,801 5,757 385,269 
			 1993 18,721 4,294 5,624 383,544 
			 1994 18,611 4,744 5,510 391,859 
			 1995 17,665 4,554 5,275 373,712 
			 1996 17,533 4,449 5,144 375,212 
			 1997 17,397 4,241 4,993 359,192 
			 1998 17,374 4,058 4,933 354,937 
			 1999 17,609 3,904 4,671 361,748 
			 2000 17,944 3,630 4,315 348,192 
			  
			 (iv) England 
			 1981 155,484 31,590 38,589 2,282,799 
			 1982 155,592 30,908 37,516 2,319,587 
			 1983 156,036 30,361 37,037 2,368,613 
			 1984 153,161 29,912 36,150 2,317,849 
			 1985 153,766 28,300 34,577 2,216,073 
			 1986 154,735 27,583 33,520 2,208,746 
			 1987 155,785 26,138 32,010 2,134,050 
			 1988 156,647 24,747 30,683 2,042,530 
			 1989 157,393 23,849 29,492 2,008,202 
			 1990 150,652 22,792 28,755 1,997,640 
			 1991 150,966 22,701 27,963 1,936,316 
			 1992 151,718 21,712 27,080 1,871,340 
			 1993 153,422 18,771 26,460 1,861,421 
			 1994 153,426 20,579 25,830 1,897,024 
			 1995 146,112 19,632 24,678 1,809,282 
			 1996 145,637 18,904 23,798 1,783,327 
			 1997 144,777 18,007 22,932 1,700,250 
			 1998 145,093 17,014 22,316 1,642,636 
			 1999 147,220 16,313 21,326 1,659,210 
			 2000 146,347 15,126 19,917 1,574,779 
		
	
	(14) Parliamentary constituency data are only available for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000.
	(15)Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
	Notes:
	1. All data taken from the June Census Agricultural and Horticultural Census; the latest data available are from the June 2000 Census.
	2. Data for England or any region/area within England do not include minor holdings.
	3. A 'dairy' type holding is one where dairying is the predominant activity on the holding.

Fish Quotas

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between quota levels and fish market prices over the past five years.

Elliot Morley: The Department is contributing to an economic research project led by the Sea Fish Industry Authority which is examining the determinants of fish prices and demand at both the quayside and retail levels. This has not yet reported, although the results of the quayside phase are due to be published soon. What is clear at this stage however is that, because of the global nature of the markets for some important species, there is often no simple relationship between local catch levels and market prices.

Fish Quotas

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the relevant information concerning the Shetland and Orkney fish quota leasing schemes has been submitted to the European Commission; and for what reasons there has been a delay in provision of the information.

Elliot Morley: The Commission announced an investigation into the Shetland and Orkney fish quota leasing schemes on 28 November 2001. Following an extension, granted by the Commission, of a month to the original deadline information from the Islands' Councils was provided in time to meet the 6 February deadline. Meanwhile the Commission on 12 February invited interested parties to comment within a month on the investigation.

Warm Front Scheme

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recognised training is available for those wishing to provide energy advice to householders; what level of training is provided for those giving advice under the Warm Front scheme; and what recommendations her Department makes as to appropriate training of these individuals.

Michael Meacher: The Energy Saving Trust is an independent body grant funded by Government to promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy in the domestic and small business sectors. The trust's national network of Energy Efficient Advice Centres provides advice on domestic efficiency issues. All staff who provide advice are required to have passed either City and Guilds Energy Awareness (6176), have a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in energy efficiency or two years' relevant experience.
	The Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England is the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES), now marketed as the Warm Front Team. Two scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and TXU Warm Front Ltd., are responsible for administering HEES.
	The Department stipulates that the scheme managers' energy efficiency advisers are trained to at least City and Guilds Energy Awareness (6176). Eaga Partnership's advisers are City and Guilds trained. TXU Warm Front Ltd.'s energy advisers are certified by the independent National Home Energy Rating Assessment Board.

Animal Health

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations she has had on the introduction of new animal health legislation; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Department consults with a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties on animal health legislation. For example, the rules covering the new Interim Animal Movements Regime were extensively discussed with a stakeholders group and representatives of individual organisations, prior to secondary legislation being introduced. All formal consultation exercises carried out by the Department are listed on the DEFRA website, including details of current consultations on, for example, the implementation of powers in the Animal Health Bill and a proposal for an Animal Welfare Bill.

Veterinary Practice

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce further legislation to govern veterinary practice.

Elliot Morley: The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 requires modernising; preliminary discussions have taken place, between DEFRA officials and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, on drafting a new Act to regulate the veterinary profession, but the discussions are still at a very early stage.
	In the interim we are progressing with amendments to the Act which would: (i) permit certain procedures currently reserved to veterinary surgeons to be delegated to fully trained and competent para-professionals; and (ii) allow veterinary nurses, and student veterinary nurses under supervision, to carry out medical treatment and minor surgery on all species of animals.

Fisheries Agreement

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place a copy of the evaluation report on the fisheries agreement between the EU and Mauritania in the Library.

Elliot Morley: The evaluation report on the fisheries agreement between the EU and Mauritania is a European Commission paper which is not in the public domain. It is not therefore within our power to make this document public. However, I have asked the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels to make inquiries to see if it can be made public.

Ministerial Boxes

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what means ministerial boxes are conveyed from private offices in her Department to (a) herself and (b) her Ministers; how frequently and at what expense private courier firms are employed for such a task; and which courier firms have been used for such duties.

Elliot Morley: Ministerial boxes originating from this Department are transported to Ministers' homes either by Government car or by a service provided by the Royal Mail.

Flood Defences

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on her proposals to improve flood defences.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency has asked the Government to recognise and commit to meeting the need for a significant further increase in funding on a planned basis to (a) improve flood warnings and (b) maintain and improve the overall standard and extent of flood defence. This will be considered through the Spending Review 2002 process. Current plans are for this Department's spending on flood and coastal defences for all operating authorities to increase from last year's outturn of £66 million to £114 million in 2003–04.
	Representations have also been received about the methodology governing the economic appraisal of flood defence works. The current methodology will be subject to review in the light of such initiatives as on-going DEFRA research into the impact of flooding on people, the Institution of Civil Engineers' report entitled "Learning to Live with Rivers" and the agency's report on the appraisal of flood defence works which I received recently. This report was undertaken following the Lessons Learned report on the autumn 2000 floods which outlined the agency's concerns about the process for making investment decisions. We are consulting more widely on its conclusions.

Flood Defences

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the list of the 100 communities referred to on 21 December 2001 by the Chairman of the Environment Agency as not being cost effective to provide with protection against flooding; what action she has taken to communicate this information to the residents, local authorities and other bodies in those communities; and what steps her Department has taken since 21 December 2001 to urge the Environment Agency to provide flood defence schemes to those communities.

Elliot Morley: This Department has policy responsibility for flood management in England and provides grants for capital works that meet economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve an appropriate priority score. Operational responsibility rests with the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards who decide which works to promote and their timing. I have encouraged those operating authorities to consider action for areas of the country at highest risk from flooding and coastal erosion. Both DEFRA and the operating authorities have a responsibility to all taxpayers to ensure that value for money is obtained when funding works.
	The Environment Agency in its Lessons Learned report following the autumn 2000 floods undertook to use all available information to catalogue the flooding, the local causes and how solutions or responsibility for action can be successfully attributed for the 8,554 properties that were flooded at 795 locations in England.
	The agency has now assessed the locations. For many work has been included in maintenance or capital programmes resulting in the repair and improvement of damaged defences. Initially the agency identified some 700 properties (in 100 locations) where it was proving difficult to provide an early practical solution; these were primarily sites where there was flooding of less than 10 properties.
	Investigations continue to identify scope for providing flood protection to the remaining properties through flood warnings, communal defences or individual property protection.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the questions of the hon. Member for the Vale of York of 6 February, Refs 33931 and 33933–33935.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the replies to her on 12 February 2002, Official Report, columns 267–68W and 273–74W.

Common Agricultural Policy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will calculate the change in CAP sterling payments to UK agriculture if the calculations had been based on ECU not the euro in each of the last three years.

Elliot Morley: It is not possible to calculate what CAP sterling payments to UK agriculture would have been in each of the last three years had they been based on the ecu rather than the euro. The ecu has not existed in the last three years. Eleven of the 15 currencies from which it was calculated were pegged to the euro throughout that period, and Greece joined subsequently. Since we do not know how those currencies would have fluctuated had the euro not been introduced, we cannot tell what the value of the ecu or any CAP payments linked to it would have been.

Common Agricultural Policy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the importance of discussion of European Union enlargement to the mid-term review of Agenda 2000 on Common Agricultural Policy reform; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Her Majesty's Government believe that CAP reform is necessary, that preparation of enlargement should proceed in parallel with discussion of reform but that enlargement should not determine that reform.

Appointments

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been appointed by her to official bodies and NDPBs coming under the aegis of her Department in the last three years; and who they were.

Elliot Morley: Information about the numbers and remuneration of ministerial appointments to public bodies, including the names of chairpersons, is included in the annual Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies". Copies are available in the Libraries of the House and also published on the Cabinet Office's website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango. The next edition of "Public Bodies", which will include information on appointments as at 31 March 2001, will be published shortly.
	The names of all members appointed to public bodies are published annually in the departmental report. Departmental reports for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are available in the Libraries of the House. The 2001 report is also available on line at www.defra.gov.uk. Publication of the 2002 report for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is expected in late spring 2002.
	A number of public bodies, which were the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), transferred to DEFRA in June 2001 as a result of the machinery of Government changes. Names of members appointed to these bodies before the changes were published in the DETR annual departmental reports, available in the Libraries of the House. The DETR reports for 1999, 2000 and April 2001 are also available on line at www.dtlr.gov.uk.

Appointments

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the appointments made by her Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if she will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present.

Elliot Morley: The information requested on chairmen of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Commissions to which the Department appoints chairmen are listed among the NDPBs in the table which has been placed in the Library of the House. They are the Meat and Livestock Commission (executive NDPB), the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the Sustainable Development Commission (advisory NDPBs). The public body, the Commons Commissioners, is an NDPB tribunal.
	The agencies to which the Department appoints chairmen are listed among the NDPBs in the aforementioned table. They are the Countryside Agency and the Environment Agency (executive NDPBs).
	The Department appointed the chairmen of the following Public Inquiry:
	Name
	The BSE Inquiry
	Chairman
	Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
	Term of office
	Inquiry announced on 22 December 1997. Report published on 26 October 2000
	Salary
	No salary/fee from the inquiry.
	Information on the number, remit, and membership of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews has been published by the Cabinet Office on a regular basis. The first report was published on 11 January 2000 and gives information on the period between 1 May 1997 to 31 October 1999. A second report was published on 27 July 2000 and covered the period 1 November 1999 to 30 April 2000. The most recent report: "Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews" was issued in October 2001, and covers the period of the financial year 2000–01. Copies of these reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Meat Imports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many port health officials were employed to check personal imports of meat and meat products on 1 January (a) 2002, (b) 2001, (c) 2000 and (d) 1999.

Elliot Morley: Responsibility for checks on imports of meat and meat products at points of entry are the responsibility of the local or port health authority and it is for the appropriate local authority to deploy staff according to the volume and nature of products imported. Most of the staff also undertake a range of other duties so the number checking imports can vary from day to day. The total number of local authority staff employed at Border Inspection Posts as at November 2001 was 196, comprising 97 Environmental Health Officers, 48 Official Veterinary Surgeons and 51 support staff. Figures for other years and staff not working at Border Inspection Posts are not available.
	HM Customs officers also carry out checks for illegally imported meat and other animal products in passengers' baggage. In addition State Veterinary Service staff are also empowered to deal with illegally imported animal products when they are found.

Fishermen's Association Ltd.

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she next intends to meet the Fishermen's Association Ltd. regarding its concerns on enforcement of fisheries policy; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We have no current plans to meet the Fishermen's Association Ltd.

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that the Government's CHP target is reflected in her Department's aims and objectives.

Michael Meacher: The Government target of 10,000 MWe of installed CHP by 2010 will make a significant contribution to DEFRA's objectives to promote sustainable management and prudent use of natural resources domestically and internationally. The CHP target will also contribute to DEFRA's future public service agreement targets.

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how applicants qualify for inclusion in the Government's quality assessment procedure for CHP; and whether this procedure requires periodic re-assessment.

Michael Meacher: The Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance programme (CHPQA) provides a practical, determinate method for assessing CHP schemes. Operators are required to self-assess their scheme, based on actual performance data, which are subject to validation and verification. A CHPQA certificate is then issued detailing the parameters qualifying as "Good Quality" CHP. All CHPQA certificates are valid to 31 December of the year of issue, whereupon applicants must submit a fresh self-assessment based on the previous year's data.

Dioxins

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 598W, on dioxins, what assessment she has made of where the dioxins emitted to air from an incinerator end up and how long they are likely to remain in the environment.

Michael Meacher: Low levels of dioxins can be detected in all environmental media and, in the UK, the mean levels are currently approximately:
	Air (ambient rural)—10 femtograms per cubic metre
	Air (ambient urban)—100 femtograms per cubic metre
	Soil (rural)—5 nanograms per kilogram
	Soil (urban)—30 nanograms per kilogram
	River sediments—20 nanograms per kilogram.
	The critical factor for all of these is the concentration in air, which itself is controlled by emissions from primary sources and by complex exchanges/recycling of dioxins with water, soil and vegetation. Dioxin emissions to air from municipal solid waste incinerators contribute less than 1 per cent. of total dioxin emissions, so they currently make only a minor contribution to environmental concentrations.
	Dioxins are persistent in the environment and commonly have half-lives in soils and sediments in the order of years, although these will vary between the different compounds and media.

Radioactive Waste

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George), of 4 February 2002, Official Report, columns 748–49W, if there are exceptions to the policy of returning reprocessing wastes arising from contracts with foreign customers back to the country of origin.

Michael Meacher: All BNFL's new reprocessing contracts for overseas customers since 1976 have included a provision to return the resulting wastes back to the country of origin. BNFL has proposed that it should be allowed to return an additional amount of high-level waste in substitution for a radiologically equivalent amount of intermediate and low-level waste. This proposal was referred to in the consultation paper "Managing Radioactive Waste Safely" which my Department and the devolved Administrations published in September 2001. Comments were invited on the link between waste substitution and the availability of a long-term management strategy. The consultation paper noted that BNFL is permitted to engage in waste substitution for low-level waste for which an environmentally acceptable disposal route exists.

Fish Stocks (Canoeing)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which independent consultants were consulted by the Environment Agency before they reached their conclusions on the impact of canoeing on fish stocks in November 2000.

Elliot Morley: The research published in autumn 2000 was conducted on behalf of the Environment Agency by APEM Ltd., Enterprise House, Manchester Science Park, Lloyd Street North, Manchester M15 6SE. The expert panel consulted by APEM on the impact of canoeing on fish stocks comprised:
	Dr. Gordon Copp, Fish Biologist, University of Hertfordshire;
	Dr. Nick Giles, Environmental consultant specialising in freshwater fisheries, aquatic ecology and conservation;
	Professor Paul Giller, Freshwater and community ecologist, Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, University College Cork, Ireland;
	Dr. Anton Ibbetson, Senior Scientific Officer, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology;
	Dr. Michael Ladle, Retired Head of the Fisheries Department, Institute of Freshwater Ecology;
	Professor Peter Maitland, Independent freshwater ecology consultant, Fish Conservation Centre, Haddington;
	Professor Richard Mann, Fish biologist, Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire;
	Dr. David Summers, Fisheries Manager, Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board;
	Dr. Ian Winfield, Fish ecologist, Institute of Freshwater Ecology, Windermere.

Fish Stocks (Canoeing)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when Environment Agency research document W266 on the impact of canoeing on angling and fish stocks was discussed by (a) the Environment Agency board and (b) each regional fisheries, ecology and recreation advisory committee.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency board does not routinely discuss research documents; it did not discuss research document W266.
	All committees were apprised of the research and some chose to discuss it. The North East Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committee discussed the document in January, April and October 2001 and South West RFERAC in january 2001. The remainder did not discuss it.

Environment Agency (Committees)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the members of each Environment Agency regional fisheries, ecology and recreation advisory committee; and whether they have an (a) angling, (b) navigation and (c) recreational interest.

Elliot Morley: There is no statutory requirement to have recreation and navigation interests on the RFERA Committees but the agency has determined, with the consent of Ministers, that these should be represented. Relevant details of the membership of each RFERA Committee have been placed in the Library of the House.
	There are also generic rules for the balance of interests on these Committees which should have no more than 21 members:
	
		
			 Interest Group Members 
		
		
			 Academic/professional 1 
			 Recreation 2 
			 Conservation 1 
			 Cross-membership with other committees 3 or 4 
			 Riparian owners 1 or 2 
			 Navigation 1 (except 4 in Thames and 3 in Anglia) 
			 Fisheries 11

Environment Agency (Committees)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria were used to appoint chairmen and members of the Environment Agency Regional Fisheries Ecology and Recreation Advisory committees.

Elliot Morley: This Department is responsible only for the appointment of the Chair of each of the Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committees in England and is not directly involved in the appointment of the Committee members.
	Details of the criteria which DEFRA and the Environment Agency are using for the appointment of the Chairs and members of the RFERACs have been placed in the Library of the House

Environment Agency (Committees)

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if advertisements for the chairs of the Environment Agency regional fisheries, ecology and recreation advisory committees were placed in boating and canoeing magazines; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: In accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) guidance, taking into account the role and remit of these posts, proportionality and available resources, advertisements were placed in The Times, the Sunday Times and the Anglers Mail. The advert also appeared on the Department's website.

Rural Affairs

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the views of customers of the Rural Payments Agency are being accommodated in the design of its new business processes.

Elliot Morley: The views of Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) customers are being accommodated in the design of its new processes through the involvement of an RPA Industry Forum, drawn from key industry representatives, supported by commodity/scheme expert groups. Consultation will continue to take place and develop as the Change Programme progresses. This work is being supported through the delivery of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy and overarching European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Business Excellence and Balance Scorecard approach within RPA. This will incorporate research, targeting, performance monitoring and benchmarking against customer criteria.

Rural Affairs

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place copies of the OGC Gateway one and two reports on the Rural Payments Agency project in the Library.

Elliot Morley: The RPA Programme has successfully passed both OGC Gateway one and two with the third Gateway review due in December 2002.
	OPG Gateway two commented that:
	RPA is currently well positioned to deliver a successful outcome, which reflects:
	strong stakeholder engagement and support;
	early industry participation; and
	effective user involvement.
	The OGC Gateway process has been welcomed by the RPA as it has helped RPA management externally to validate the progress that is being made and identify areas for improvement, while benefiting from the experience and learning from previous projects and programmes.
	Arrangements have been made to place copies of the OGC Gateway one and two reports in the Library.

Brazilian Mahogany

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many shipments of Brazilian mahogany there have been to the UK since the Brazilian Environment Agency's ban on trade in October 2001; and how many shipments are en route to the UK.

Michael Meacher: No shipments of Brazilian mahogany to the UK have taken place since October 2001. We are aware of one shipment anticipated to arrive in the UK during the last week in February.
	Brazilian mahogany is listed in CITES Appendix III and as such does not require an import permit. For these species a self-completed report notification form must be presented to HM Customs prior to the arrival of the specimens, together with the relevant export permit(s) or certificate(s) of origin issued by the Management Authority in the exporting country.

Essex Estuaries European Marine Site

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the Habitats Directive on boating activities within the Essex Estuaries European Marine Site.

Michael Meacher: No assessment has yet been made. However, English Nature's advice for the Essex Estuaries given under Regulation 33 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 identifies boat wash and mooring chain abrasion of the sea bed as issues which will require further investigation. In addition, the draft management scheme, established under the 1994 regulations, contains an action point to develop strategic plans for leisure boating development for each estuary system within the site.

Essex Estuaries European Marine Site

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in drawing up the Essex Estuaries European Marine Site management scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The management group for the Essex Estuaries European Marine Site are considering the final draft of the management scheme at the moment. It is hoped to launch the management scheme later this year.

MV Mari Geni

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the options available to the owners of the MV Mari Geni, if they accept decommissioning, for the disposal of the fishing vessel's track record.

Elliot Morley: Under the 2001 fishing vessel decommissioning scheme for England the fixed quota allocation (FQA) units and track record of decommissioned vessels may be transferred to:
	other over 10 metre licensed vessels (whether in the same ownership or not);
	over 10 metre licence entitlements (whether held by the owner(s) of the decommissioned vessel or not);
	producer organisations.
	It is possible to split the FQA units from a single decommissioned vessel and to transfer them to two or more licensed vessels, licence entitlements or producer organisations. However, the track record from a decommissioned vessel cannot be split in this way and must be transferred in its entirety to a single recipient which need not be the same as the recipient of the FQA units.

Meat Exports

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the resumption of exports of United Kingdom- produced meat to (a) non-European Union countries and (b) European Union countries.

Elliot Morley: Exports of UK-produced biungulate meat to EU countries have been possible throughout the foot and mouth disease outbreak, provided the meat was produced in accordance with the conditions set out in Commission Decision 2001/172/EC which introduced export controls on animal products in response to the outbreak. Exports to non-EU countries required the agreement of the importing country in addition to the conditions established under Community law. The requirements set out in the above Decision were in practice very demanding and only very few exports took place under those provisions.
	On 7 June 2001, Community restrictions on exports of meat from Northern Ireland were lifted. Thereafter meat produced in Northern Ireland could be exported to other EU Member States without restriction.
	Progressively exports from areas of Great Britain recommenced as counties met the criteria for classification as "FMD free" as required by the Decision.
	The UK has now been recognised as FMD free by both the EU and the Office International des Epizooties, the international animal health organisation. On 5 February the European Commission's Standing Veterinary Committee agreed to lift all trade restrictions on the UK related to the FMD outbreak, including the need for export certification. As soon as this change to Community law has been formally adopted, we will reflect it in UK domestic law. This should be very soon. Trade in biungulate meat to EU countries can then resume under pre-FMD conditions. At that point trade with non-EU countries will solely take place on the basis of those countries' own important requirements. The Chief Veterinary Officer has written to non-EU countries informing them of the change to our official status and asking them to remove any conditions or restrictions that they applied because of our FMD outbreak.
	Specific restrictions remain in place in respect of exports of beef because of BSE.

Dolphins

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish an investigation into a possible connection between the sonar signals sent out by Royal Naval vessels and the increasing number of dolphins found in UK coastal waters.

Elliot Morley: I have no knowledge of any research that indicates that sonar signals from Royal Naval vessels should increase the number of dolphins occurring in UK coastal waters. Currently, neither the Department nor the Ministry of Defence plan to carry out such an investigation.

Goats (Scrapie)

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the status of goats with regard to the national scrapie plan; how many goats have been reported to the authorities as having contracted scrapie in each year since 1993; and what assessment she has made of the significance of the incidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in the national goat herd.

Elliot Morley: Goats are known to be liable to scrapie infection. They do not possess genotypes which would allow breeding for resistance to scrapie, and it would not be appropriate to broaden the scope of the national scrapie plan to include goats as well as sheep.
	Since the disease became notifiable in 1993, eight cases of scrapie have been confirmed in goats in Great Britain of which three were confirmed in 1993, one each in 1994 and 1995 and three in 1996.
	In recognition of the limited data available on the true incidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in sheep and goats, a testing programme was introduced this year across the European Union. As part of an expanded programme coming into effect in April, the United Kingdom will be testing 66,000 sheep and goats.

Rio+10 Conference

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to involve (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) hon. Members in the (i) preparations for and (ii) attendance at Rio+10 Conference in Johannesburg.

Michael Meacher: A dedicated team within DEFRA has been established to co-ordinate domestic preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). They are working closely with colleagues from other Government Departments to raise awareness of the summit across civil society, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as other organisations and the public more generally. We are working with NGOs by: supporting key umbrella organisations such as UNED-UK and the Environment and Development Group of the BOND Network (British Overseas NGOs for Development) working in partnership with NGOs, for example WWF on the "Our World Project"; including NGOs in the official UK delegation to the UN preparatory meetings; and establishing a wide stakeholder group to share information on preparations for WSSD.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all MPs in January informing them of the summit and suggesting how they might get involved. The Environmental Audit Committee are also conducting an inquiry into the UK preparations for the summit, at which the Secretary of State will give evidence on 20 March.
	The decision on who will be part of the UK delegation for the summit will rest with the Prime Minister and no decisions have yet been made. But as with previous events of this type we will want a balance of interests represented.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Identity Cards

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what work is being undertaken to study the introduction of identity cards; when the work is likely to be completed; if it will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 4 February 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) on the entitlement card on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 872W.

Departmental Publications

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the publications issued by his Department in each of the last four years; and what the (a) circulation, (b) cost and (c) purpose of each was.

Christopher Leslie: This information is not held centrally, nor in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on publications issued by my Department since May 1997 to December 2000 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	I have asked my officials to collate the information on publications issued by my Department from 1 December 2000 to 31 January 2002. I will write to the hon. Member with this information as soon as practically possible, and place a copy of this information in the Libraries of the House.
	Information on the circulation and purpose of each publication is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mobile Telephones

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list, for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, the amount spent (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies on (1) providing mobile telephone equipment, including handsets and other associated equipment, (2) telephone calls made using such equipment and (3) telephone calls made using privately owned mobile telephones but subsequently reclaimed by (x) Ministers and (y) staff.

Christopher Leslie: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Task Forces

Llew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what mechanisms have been set in place to enhance the openness of task forces; and what requirements there are for the publication of (a) details of meetings, (b) papers produced for meetings and (c) remuneration for task force members.

Christopher Leslie: Individual Ministers are responsible for agreeing the programme of work of the task forces for which they are responsible; that would include whether they publish details of their meetings or papers produced.
	The Cabinet Office has on a regular basis published information on the number, remit and membership of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews since 1997. The most recent report covering 2000–01 was published in October 2001. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
	The 2000–01 report sets out details of the full title; the date established; the date wound up (if appropriate); number of members and information on the sectors they are drawn; the name and background of the chair; and details of reporting arrangements (including any reports published).
	Task force members who are not civil servants do not generally receive remuneration for their work, but they are compensated for travel and subsistence ("out of pocket expenses").

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list 
	(1)  the campaigns managed by the Central Office of Information in the last 12 months; and what the (a) costs and (b) advertising agencies that received contracts for each campaign were;
	(2)  the marketing campaigns undertaken in the last 12 months by the Central Office of Information, broken down by the Government Departments that were responsible for initiating the campaigns.

Christopher Leslie: I have placed copies of the lists in the Library of the House.

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the publicity campaigns undertaken by the Central Office of Information in each year since 1997, broken down by whether they were carried out through (a) television adverts, (b) newspaper adverts, (c) internet advertising, (d) private polling and (e) focus groups.

Christopher Leslie: The information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what criteria advertising contracts are awarded to external agencies through the Central Office of Information; and what changes to the criteria are planned.

Christopher Leslie: Contracts are awarded following a competition between suitable companies. Companies are selected following a rigorous analysis of past performance and the independent Advisory Committee on Advertising also provides guidance on the selection of suitable agencies.
	No changes to the criteria are planned following the changes in responsibilities.

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research is undertaken by the Central Office of Information to monitor the effectiveness of Government marketing communications; and what the findings were for the advertising campaigns carried out on behalf of the Government in the last 12 months.

Christopher Leslie: A wide range of research techniques are used to monitor effectiveness.
	All research through COI is commissioned through independent research specialists.
	Findings on advertising campaigns can be released only by the commissioning department and not by COI.

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the funding of the Central Office of Information was in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Central Office of Information (COI) is funded in two ways. The great majority of its expenditure is recovered as a trading fund by recharging costs incurred to its clients who are all publicly funded bodies. A small element of funding is also received as central vote funding under class xvii vote 4.
	Both amounts can be seen in the annual report and accounts published by COI and laid before Parliament each year. The vote funding is shown in an extract of the appropriation account and the funding from charges is represented by the income shown in the income and expenditure account.

Central Office of Information

Tim Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what basis it was decided that the Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information should report directly to the Prime Minister's Director of Communications; and whether the Central Office of Information will continue to report to Cabinet Office Ministers.

Christopher Leslie: The new role of the Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI) as the Government's chief adviser on marketing communications and information campaigns was, as I reported to the House on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 862W, a recommendation from a quinquennial review of the COI which was carried out by the Cabinet Office. The Chief Executive remains fully accountable to Cabinet Office Ministers for the work of the Central Office of Information, and they are accountable to Parliament. Individual Departments remain responsible for individual campaigns.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

National Rail Summit

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 192W, on the National Rail Summit, if he will list the commitments agreed to by the industry in 1999 and place in the Library the related documentation; if he will place in the Library a copy of the summary of progress against the 1999 commitments produced for the 2000 Summit; and if he will state what further reviews of progress (a) have taken place and (b) are planned to take place and place any copies of related documentation in the Library.

David Jamieson: Copies of the relevant press notices have been placed in the Library. The SRA reviews the delivery of train operators' franchise commitments and reports on them in its annual report—copies of which are available in the Library.

Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what contracts his Department has had since 1997 with (a) Arthur Andersen and (b) Accenture for (i) accountancy, (ii) audit and (iii) consultancy work; and what staff have been seconded (A) to his Department from and (B) from his Department to these firms.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total cost to his Department has been of services provided by (a) Andersen and (b) Accenture, Andersen Consulting for (i) accountancy services, (ii) consultancy work and (iii) other work in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: Individual Government Departments are responsible for taking decisions on the goods and services they acquire, whether through the private finance initiative (PFI) or other procurement routes, taking into account the Government's policy of seeking value for money for the taxpayer. The public sector as a whole has signed hundreds of contracts, covering the delivery of a range of services.
	For details of contracts with Andersen, I refer to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1097W, and 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 829W. The cost to date on all contracts is £402,157.78.

Central Railways

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to publish the SRA report on Central Railways.

David Jamieson: holding answer 12 February 2002
	The SRA's view on Central Railway's proposals is currently being considered by Ministers.

Concessionary Travel

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners benefiting from concessionary bus fare schemes in London in the last two years.

Sally Keeble: I have been informed by the Association of Local Government that the number of pensioners benefiting from concessionary bus fare schemes in London in the last two years is as follows:
	September 1998 to September 1999—879,000
	September 1999 to September 2000—866,000.

Road Building (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the major road-building programmes for the Greater London area for which his Department is responsible.

David Jamieson: Following the establishment of the Greater London Authority in July 2000, the only roads in the Greater London area for which the Secretary of State is responsible are the M1, M4 and M11. There are no plans for major building programmes on any of these roads in the area.

Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list for each of the past three years the investment by each English housing authority; and how much of this expenditure was from (a) central and (b) local government sources.

Sally Keeble: holding answer 25 February 2002
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information he has for each London borough over the past year of (a) local authority houses sold under right to buy, (b) the number built by registered social landlords for rent, (c) the number built by registered social landlords for part rent/purchase and (d) the number built by the private sector for sale.

Sally Keeble: holding answer 25 February 2002
	The available information is as follows.
	
		Right to Buy sales and housebuilding completions, London: 2000–01
		
			   Number of housebuilding completions during 2001 by:  
			   Local authority dwellings sold under RTB(15) in 2000–01  Registered social landlords(16) for:  Private enterprise(17)  
			   Number Months reported Rent Sale Number Months reported 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 527 9 22 0 185 9 
			 Barnet 252 12 157 14 334 12 
			 Bexley 0 12 28 0 97 11 
			 Brent 156 9 161 12 n/a 0 
			 Bromley 0 12 59 15 n/a 0 
			 Camden 760 12 22 0 283 12 
			 City of London 50 12 0 0 73 12 
			 Croydon 249 12 81 12 135 12 
			 Ealing 330 12 36 8 n/a 0 
			 Enfield 216 12 151 43 1,911 12 
			 Greenwich 518 12 139 0 910 12 
			 Hackney 764 12 165 98 668 10 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 283 9 21 2 25 11 
			 Haringey 239 6 110 4 51 12 
			 Harrow 88 12 30 7 79 12 
			 Havering 273 12 114 0 238 12 
			 Hillingdon 231 12 102 19 199 11 
			 Hounslow 283 12 30 12 250 10 
			 Islington n/a 0 111 19 196 12 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 108 12 11 2 71 12 
			 Kingston upon Thames 51 12 83 0 165 12 
			 Lambeth 669 9 144 32 n/a 0 
			 Lewisham n/a 0 118 25 19 12 
			 Merton 164 9 42 0 401 12 
			 Newham 272 6 62 36 498 11 
			 Redbridge 129 12 122 0 184 12 
			 Richmond upon Thames 33 6 0 0 147 12 
			 Southwark 809 12 130 50 343 7 
			 Sutton 146 12 177 36 120 12 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,074 12 87 55 1,271 12 
			 Waltham Forest 244 12 33 15 126 12 
			 Wandsworth 323 12 40 21 252 12 
			 Westminster 440 12 296 79 197 12 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Data shown are for April 2000 to March 2001, and include a small number of Rent to Mortgage sales.
	2. RSL newbuild includes "off the shelf" purchases of properties built by private developers. RSL completions are recorded when the final tranche payment for the scheme is made.
	3. Private enterprise completions do not distinguish properties which may be intended for rental.
	Sources:
	DTLR P1(B) quarterly and P2 (monthly) housing activity returns
	Housing Corporation ADP completion statistics

Railways

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 589W, on railway policy, if he will list the specific responsibilities of staff working in the (a) Rail Delivery Directorate and (b) Railways Restructuring Directorate; and how many staff work in each directorate.

David Jamieson: There are now 51 people working in the Rail Delivery Directorate and 32 people in the Railways Restructuring Directorate. It is neither customary nor practicable to publish individual civil servants' job descriptions.

Railways

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what proportion of the £26 billion programme of public sector support for sustaining the rail network and delivery of existing commitments, as referred to on page 25 of the Strategic Rail Authority Strategic Plan published on 14 January is (a) public investment, (b) public resource expenditure and (c) revenue support for private investment, subdivided for each year of the 10-Year Plan 2001–02 to 2011–12;
	(2)  what proportion of the public sector funding used to lever in the new commitments, as referred to on page 25 of the Strategic Rail Authority Strategic Plan published on 14 January, is (a) public investment, (b) public resource expenditure and (c) revenue support for private investment for each year of the 10-Year Plan 2001–02 to 2011–12.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on Wednesday 23 January 2002, Official Report, columns 871–72W, and for Amber Valley (Judy Mallaber) on Tuesday 29 January 2002, Official Report, columns 177–178W, for the classification of total public sector funding.
	No classification has been made for the figures published in the SRA strategic plan. While some expenditure can be generally classified—such as capital expenditure on CTRL and resource expenditure through franchise support payments—funding is allocated by purpose (i.e. existing or enhanced railway) rather than public expenditure classification.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much money has been spent on the bid costs of the company limited by guarantee team and their advisers; and what the estimated monthly budget going forward is.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is funding the bid costs of the CLG team and their advisers. Expenditure will depend on the claims submitted to the SRA.

Departmental Underspend

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the underspend in his Department for each year since 1997–98 for (a) total expenditure and (b) rail expenditure in each case providing details of the (i) amount and (ii) financial year to which any underspend has been re-allocated.

Alan Whitehead: Provisional outturn against cash limits and against cash departmental expenditure limits, which replaced cash limits from 1 April 1999, is published in the relevant editions of the Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn White Paper. Amounts taken up under end year flexibility arrangements are announced in written answers preceding supplementary estimates and at the end of each financial year. It is not possible to provide separate figures in respect of rail expenditure on a comparable basis.

Jubilee Line

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the figures originally forecast for (a) passenger volumes, (b) revenue raised and (c) frequency of trains per hour on the Jubilee Line for each financial year since 1997–98.

John Spellar: This is a matter for London Underground Ltd., who have provided the following information, which indicates forecast Jubilee line passenger volumes (by the number of journeys), revenues (in the form of cash receipts) and services (as trains per peak hour):
	A forecast of journeys is available only for the opening year of the Jubilee Line Extension: 1999–2000—119 M journeys.
	Only forecast receipts from cash sales at underground ticket offices on the Jubilee Line are shown, rather than total revenue. This is because data on receipts are available by line. (Total revenue would include apportionment of travelcard income between different operators—including buses, national rail etc.—but these figures are available only at network level.)
	
		Forecast receipts
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 47.3 
			 1998–99 51.0 
			 1999–2000(16) 69.5 
			 2000–01 (17)106.8 
		
	
	(16) Jubilee Line Extension fully open November 1999
	(17) Forecast
	Forecast service levels were altered as the project evolved to reflect changes to the signalling system proposed for use on the extension. The final forecast was in line with the service actually delivered. Service levels are expressed as trains per hour (tph) on the busiest section of line at peak hours at year end. The busiest section for the first two years quoted was Charing Cross-Willesden Green and, thereafter, North Greenwich- Willesden Green. The latter two years' data are for peak direction as well as peak hour services:
	
		
			  Tph 
		
		
			 1997–98 20 
			 1998–99 20 
			 1999–2000 24 
			 2000–01 24

Jubilee Line

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the (a) passenger volumes of, (b) revenues of and (c) services on the Jubilee Line for each financial year since 1997–98.

John Spellar: This is a matter for London Underground Ltd., who have provided the following information, which sets out Jubilee Line passenger volumes (by the number of journeys actually made), revenues (in the form of cash receipts) and services (as trains per peak hour):
	
		Passenger journeys
		
			  Million 
		
		
			 1997–98 62 
			 1998–99 65 
			 1999–2000(18) 92 
			 2000–01 139 
		
	
	(18) Jubilee Line Extension fully open November 1999
	Only receipts from actual cash sales at underground ticket offices on the Jubilee Line are shown in the table, rather than total revenue. This is because data on receipts are available by line. (Total revenue would include apportionment of travelcard income between different operators—bus, national rail etc.—but these figures are available only at network level.)
	
		Receipts
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 47.4 
			 1998–99 51.3 
			 1999–2000(19) 70.6 
			 2000–01 107.5 
		
	
	(19) Jubilee Line Extension fully open November 1999
	Service levels are expressed as trains per hour (tph) on the busiest section of line at peak hours at year end. The busiest section for the first two years quoted was Charing Cross-Willesden Green and, thereafter, North Greenwich- Willesden Green. The latter two years data are for peak direction as well as peak hour services:
	
		Service levels
		
			  tph 
		
		
			 1997–98 20 
			 1998–99 20 
			 1999–2000(20) 24 
			 2000–01 24 
		
	
	(20) Jubilee Line Extension fully open November 1999

Rail Services (South-west)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he has taken to persuade the Strategic Rail Authority to provide for a three hour journey time from London to Plymouth in its 10-year plan.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is currently considering how journey times from London to the south-west could be improved.

London Underground

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate the loss of revenue because of fare evasion on London underground in each of the last 10 years.

John Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground (LU) who have provided the following information.
	
		Estimated loss of revenue due to fare evasion on London underground
		
			 Year Estimated loss of revenue (percentage) Total revenue for the year (£ million, cash) Estimated loss of revenue (£ million, cash) 
		
		
			 1992 2.37 703 16.7 
			 1993 2.28 749 17.1 
			 1994 1.19 824 9.8 
			 1995 1.44 849 12.2 
			 1996 1.50 864 13.0 
			 1997 2.00 945 18.9 
			 1998 2.30 993 22.8 
			 1999 2.41 1,059 25.5 
			 2000 2.37 1,131 26.8 
			 2001 2.54 1,150 29.2 
		
	
	LU have identified particular revenue loss hotspots, and these areas have been targeted in liaison with the British Transport Police (BTP) and where appropriate the train operating companies. They are also engaged in initiatives with the BTP to mitigate the effects of ticket touting, for example, by making announcements to customers to ask them not to give their tickets to touts and asking them to report touts to LU staff. Steps have been taken to make ticket purchase far simpler, by introducing phone and internet ticketing facilities and the installation of "Queuebuster" ticket machines at the busiest stations. The development of smartcard technology, being introduced under the Prestige project, should help to make fare evasion more difficult in the future.

Refurbishment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 571W, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997.

Alan Whitehead: The cost of refurbishment works in ministerial accommodation since May 1997 is as follows:
	
		£ 
		
			 Year Approximate cost (exclusive of VAT) 
		
		
			 1997–98 138,000 
			 1998–99 12,300 
			 1999–2000 6,200 
			 2000–01 2,100

Fire Authority Funding

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Government will make a decision on funding to fire authorities in England and Wales for the additional costs of emergency planning following the events of 11 September 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: We are providing £53 million funding for the fire service to give further protection to the public and emergency services in the event of a major chemical, biological or radiological attack. The funding would provide new equipment, including decontamination facilities for members of the public and personal protective equipment for firefighters.
	In view of the heightened levels of threat following the events of 11 September, we want to ensure that the fire service has the necessary equipment to protect the public and the emergency services should an attack occur. Detailed contingency plans are already in place and responses to a range of different threats, including chemical, biological and radiological, are tested regularly in exercises. This new equipment will further increase the level of preparedness.

Political Parties and Elections

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proposals his Department has to introduce legislation relating to the regulation of (a) political parties and (b) elections in the next 12 months.

Alan Whitehead: When parliamentary time permits, we intend to introduce legislation to adjust the numbers of UK MEPs consequent upon enlargement of the European Union and to enfranchise Gibraltar for the European parliamentary elections. Current plans for secondary legislation this session include regulations about the sale of the electoral register under section 9 of the Representation of the People Act 2000 and regulations to re-commence section 143 of, and paragraph 14 of Schedule 18 to, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 relating to election publications.

Railtrack

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment has been undertaken by (a) his Department and (b) the HSE of (i) the work undertaken by Global Crossing within the railway industry, (ii) the safety critical functions of Global Crossing within the railway industry, (iii) the nature of the contract between Global Crossing and Railtrack and (iv) progress towards meeting a timetable for the implementation of safety improvement in the railway industry by Global Crossing.

David Jamieson: Racal Telecom (now Global Crossing) have a contractual arrangement with Railtrack, which is a commercial matter between the companies. There are no agreements between Racal Telcom/Global Crossing and either the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or my Department. Global Crossing supplies telecom and associated services to the British rail industry. Railtrack as infrastructure manager retains overall responsibility for safety. HSE advise that there have been no prosecutions against Racal Telecom or Global Crossing since 1 April 1999, or enforcement notices since 1 April 2001. HSE data from before this date are not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Level Crossing, East Tilbury

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will request the appropriate safety agencies to investigate the frequency of failures to the level crossing gates at East Tilbury on the LTS line, and the consequent ability of vehicles of the emergency services to gain access to East Tilbury; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Railway Inspectorate is aware of the recent problems experienced with equipment at the East Tilbury Level Crossing. The HSE advise that technicians have always arrived on site immediately to rectify these problems and that provision has been made for the emergency services to be able to communicate directly with Railtrack regarding any emergency issues.

M25

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make it his policy not to widen the M25 between junctions 12 and 15 within the vicinity of terminal 5.

David Jamieson: The decision to widen the M25 between Junctions 12 and 15 was made as part of the Roads Review announced in July 1998. This section of road was already severely congested and widening within the existing motorway boundary was considered to be and remains the most appropriate solution. The more recent decision to approve the construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport will necessitate the construction of a new access road (T5 Spur Road) from T5 to the M25 between Junctions 14 and 15. Both sets of improvements can now be designed and constructed at the same time to limit the delays during construction.

Electronic Voting

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information he has collated on the proportion of the population in each 10-year age band that has sufficient (a) access to equipment and (b) training to be able to vote from home this year.

Alan Whitehead: We have given approval to 31 local authorities to run electoral modernisation pilot schemes in this May's local and mayoral elections. We have been careful to ensure that all sectors of the electorate—young and old, and those with physical disabilities including the visually impaired—are not disadvantaged by the new arrangements. Where authorities pilot internet or other online voting techniques, these will be run alongside traditional methods of voting so that a person can choose to vote at the polling station or by postal vote on demand.
	We will be asking authorities piloting all postal ballots to provide for those visually impaired electors who wish to use the voting device allowing them to vote in secret. Pilot authorities are working closely with disability groups and others in the run-up to the elections, and will provide information and advice on how the different ways of voting work. Following these elections, the Electoral Commission will carry out an extensive evaluation of the pilot programme which will provide more information on specific voting patterns and how we go about establishing modern voting methods.

Deeside Park Junction Study

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has considered the recommendations of the North West Regional Assembly following completion of the A550/ A5117 Deeside Park Junction Study; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: I have today written to the Leader of the North West Regional Assembly and a copy of this letter has been placed in the House of Commons Library, together with a copy of the Department's Press Notice.
	The Deeside Park Junction Study was commissioned by the Government as part of their 10-year Plan for Transport. The study looked at ways to improve safety and congestion on this strategic section of route between the M56 and the Welsh Border.
	In my letter to the Assembly I outline my support for the recommendations made by the study. I am pleased to say that the scheme for on line improvements to the route, which includes the grade separation of the three junctions, is to be added to the Targeted Programme of Improvements with immediate effect. I am also encouraging the local authorities to take forward the other study recommendations.
	This is good news for motorists in Deeside and North Wales and the improvements will reduce not only congestion and delays but also accidents. This route serves the expanding Deeside Industrial Park and is the main route into North Wales and the Port of Holyhead and these improvements will help the further economic regeneration of the region.

Decontamination Facilities

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the provision of funding for mass decontamination facilities.

Alan Whitehead: We are providing £53 million funding for the fire service to give further protection to the public and emergency services in the event of a major chemical, biological or radiological attack. The funding would provide new equipment, including decontamination facilities for members of the public and personal protective equipment for firefighters.
	In view of the heightened levels of threat following the events of 11 September, we want to ensure that the fire service has the necessary equipment to protect the public and the emergency services should an attack occur. Detailed contingency plans are already in place and responses to a range of different threats, including chemical, biological and radiological, are tested regularly in exercises. This new equipment will further increase the level of preparedness.

Strategic Employment Sites (North-East)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what further changes he is intending to make to draft regional planning guidance for the North East about the two proposed strategic employment sites in the broad location of north Sunderland and west of Stockton.

Sally Keeble: Over 1,000 comments have been received in response to the proposed changes to draft Regional Planning Guidance for the North East (RPG1) which were published in April 2001. In his letter to the Association of North East Councils (ANEC) announcing the publication of the proposed changes, my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Housing and Planning specifically invited views on the proposal to reduce the number of new greenfield strategic employment sites from four to one.
	This proposal raised significant objections from the Regional Planning Body, the local authorities, and the Regional Development Agency (One NorthEast). In the light of all the comments received we are proposing to reinstate the proposal for a strategic employment site in the broad location of North of Nissan, Sunderland. There will be strict control of the development of the site which would be promoted as a high quality site to assist in the creation of new business clusters, rather than as originally envisaged to provide a long term reserve solely for large single users. The re-instatement of the site is on the basis that ANEC will progress the proposed employment land review, and re-allocate or de-allocate unsustainable sites as part of the early review to be undertaken in 2002–03.
	To ensure appropriate development of the site it is proposed that after the precise location of the site has been defined a development brief be prepared. A joint brief may be needed given that the area of search straddles three local planning authorities: Sunderland City Council, Gateshead Council and South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council. This should safeguard the site for prestige development of national or regional significance, and ensure that public transport accessibility is maximised. The site boundaries will need to be defined in the relevant unitary development plans.
	Whilst the principle of the need for an additional strategic employment site in the Tees Valley is accepted, further work is required to identify more precisely where this should be in the broad area West of Stockton. This proposal should be carried forward as part of the early review of RPG1 in 2002–03.
	Comments on the proposed further change are being invited over a twelve week period. These will be considered, along with all the representations already received, before RPG1 is finalised later in the year.

Departmental Resignations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if payments in excess of salary were (a) owing to and (b) negotiated with (i) Jo Moore and (ii) Martin Sixsmith following their resignations.

Stephen Byers: Jo Moore will be paid in accordance with her contract. Details are a confidential matter between the individuals and the Department.
	With regard to Martin Sixsmith, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by Sir Richard Mottram on 25 February, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Resignations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he was first informed of the decisions of (a) Jo Moore and (b) Martin Sixsmith to resign; and by whom.

Stephen Byers: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement I made on Tuesday 26 February to this House and that of Sir Richard Mottram, the Permanent Secretary of my Department, made on Monday 25 February, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Development Agencies

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the organisations which were subsumed into the South West Regional Development Agency.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The five organisations which either were subsumed into the RDA or from which the RDA took staff were:
	Rural Development Commission (RDC)
	English Partnerships
	Devon and Cornwall Development International (DCDI)
	West of England Development Agency (WEDA)
	Government Office for the South West.
	The RDA was established on 1 April 1999. WEDA and DCDI ceased to exist operationally from that date; both these organisations and the RDC were wound up by April 2000.

Regional Development Agencies

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment the Government made of (a) the role of, (b) the effectiveness of and (c) the projects undertaken by the regional development agencies; how often these reviews take place; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	We regularly assess the role and effectiveness of the regional development agencies. Under the Single Programme Budget arrangements, which take effect on 1 April 2002, the Government will be reviewing annually RDAs' effectiveness in achieving progress towards the realisation of their Regional Economic Strategies, and in contributing towards the regional achievement of the national targets the Government have set.

Regional Development Agencies

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the costs that have been incurred by each individual regional development agency in each year since their establishment.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Since their inception the RDAs have been given an annual administration budget to cover the running costs of each agency. The budgets are as follows.
	
		Administration Budget (running costs) -- £000
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 One North East 8,791 10,513 12,853 
			 North West Development Agency 11,837 13,876 14,956 
			 Yorkshire Forward 8,659 8,284 9,989 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 5,013 7,377 7,528 
			 Advantage West Midlands 7,421 8,352 8,793 
			 East of England Development Agency 4,570 4,849 5,836 
			 South East Development Agency 6,416 6,343 7,143 
			 South West Development Agency 7,086 8,380 9,099 
			 London Development Agency n/a 6,009 9,470 
			  
			 Total 59,793 73,983 85,667

Airport Security

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what health and safety assessments have taken place on the eye scanning techniques on trial at Heathrow Airport.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The iris recognition trial at Heathrow is being run in conjunction with the United Kingdom (UK) Immigration Service, British Airports Authority, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and the technology supplier EyeTicket Corporation of the United States of America. All organisations are members of the Simplifying Passenger Travel Interest Group whose focus is on streamlining the various processes involved in a passenger's air journey. Participants are selected airline frequent flyer visitors to the United Kingdom approved by the Immigration Service for entry into the voluntary scheme.
	The technology used in this trial involves a camera which takes a black and white picture of a passenger's eye to analyse the iris pattern. This is then recorded as a digital code on a secure database. Once registered, passengers glance into a separate camera at an iris recognition station and have their identity verified before being granted automated entry to the United Kingdom.
	Eyeticket advise that the cameras in the trial are video cameras. No lasers or any other potentially harmful light sources are used. The optical subsystem manufacture has certified that the camera systems and illumination are in compliance with the latest worldwide standards for eye safety.
	Health and Safety Officers from the Immigration Service and British Airport Authority (BAA) have carried out environmental risk assessments within the area where the iris registration and recognition systems are located. Both have reported that the risk to staff and passengers posed by the presence of the systems is insignificant.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police SSAs

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the standard spending assessment per head of population in each police authority area in England and Wales and the average figure for these authorities.

John Denham: The Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) for each police authority in England and Wales per head of population in 2001–02 and 2002–03 is given in the table.
	The average SSA per head for 2001–02 is £147.63 and for 2002–03 is £147.92
	
		£ 
		
			 Police force SSA per head 2001–02 SSA per head 2002–03 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 120.85 120.89 
			 Bedfordshire 120.92 121.34 
			 Cambridgeshire 112.15 111.70 
			 Cheshire 120.70 121.30 
			 City of London 9,560.60 9,324.58 
			 Cleveland 159.66 160.94 
			 Cumbria 131.77 133.44 
			 Derbyshire 114.02 115.90 
			 Devon and Cornwall 119.69 119.36 
			 Dorset 108.32 108.18 
			 Durham 144.18 145.16 
			 Dyfed Powys 117.22 118.10 
			 Essex 114.54 113.53 
			 Gloucestershire 119.21 119.26 
			 Greater Manchester 156.96 157.57 
			 Gwent 134.94 136.75 
			 Hampshire 120.11 121.20 
			 Hertfordshire 117.79 117.29 
			 Humberside 137.35 137.46 
			 Kent 128.73 128.25 
			 Lancashire 135.37 136.41 
			 Leicestershire 118.49 118.87 
			 Lincolnshire 109.15 108.51 
			 Merseyside 179.97 180.34 
			 Metropolitan police 250.42 249.92 
			 Norfolk 114.85 115.29 
			 North Wales 125.06 124.36 
			 North Yorkshire 112.38 111.80 
			 Northamptonshire 114.17 113.55 
			 Northumbria 160.46 160.92 
			 Nottinghamshire 131.79 132.22 
			 South Wales 141.76 143.85 
			 South Yorkshire 141.85 141.91 
			 Staffordshire 114.68 115.43 
			 Suffolk 111.15 110.71 
			 Surrey 102.95 101.96 
			 Sussex 119.99 120.01 
			 Thames Valley 115.83 115.37 
			 Warwickshire 112.27 111.15 
			 West Mercia 109.00 108.44 
			 West Midlands 155.99 157.59 
			 West Yorkshire 146.85 147.32 
			 Wiltshire 113.78 112.86 
			  
			 England and Wales 147.63 147.92

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 29 November 2001 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury about case reference ISB/100049.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 22 January 2002
	The hon. Member's letter was transferred to the Joint Entry Clearance Unit (JECU) on 30 January 2002, and I understand that their officials will reply to him shortly. I apologise for the delay in transferring the hon. Member's correspondence.

Correspondence

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter of 23 October 2001 from the hon. Member for Torbay, regarding Mr. Elias Masif Bousaley of Torquay and his visa renewal application.

Angela Eagle: I wrote to the hon. Member on 27 February 2002. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

Dorset

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the financial resources and initiatives sponsored by his Department in the last 12 months for Dorset, which are additional to the Government SSA grants.

Angela Eagle: Following is a list of financial resources and initiatives sponsored by the Home Department in Dorset.
	Details relate to the period 1 February 2001 to 31 January 2002 unless otherwise stated.
	
		
			 Initiative Resources (£) 
		
		
			 Communities Against Drugs 470,800 
			 Active Community Grant Bournemouth Council for voluntary service 31,500 
			 Mentoring Fund Grant 12,250 
			 Unaccompanied asylum seeking children 71,101 
			 Adult and family asylum seekers grant 1,605,364 
			 Drug Action Teams 113,964 
			 Arrest Referral Scheme 56,476 
			 Youth Offending Schemes 483,431 
			 Partnership Development Fund 89,556 
			 Reducing Burglary Initiative(20) 85,149 
			 Closed Circuit Television(21) 2,512,936 
			 Capital Modernisation Fund—security for small retailers 6,477 
		
	
	(21) The figures shown represent the amount that has been allocated to projects in Dorset for the full term of the Crime Reduction Programme (financial years 1999–2000 to 2002–03). Project management arrangements mean that it is not possible to confirm actual payments made in the specific time frame.

Empty Properties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) his agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last four years.

Angela Eagle: The Home Office's estimate of the annual cost and total value of empty properties on its estate and the estates of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies for each of the financial years requested is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			  Total cost Total value 
		
		
			 1997–98 254 4,480 
			 1998–99 609 9,953 
			 1999–2000 6,634 13,723 
			 2000–01 8,594 13,323 
		
	
	These figures include costs of properties vacated for the purposes of refurbishment. Cost information on empty homes is not kept and a meaningful estimate of the figures could be made only at disproportionate cost. Progress in reducing the number of empty homes is reported annually in the Greening Government annual reports.
	The largest single currently vacant property is No 2 Marsham street, London SW1 which is due to be redeveloped by means of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Annual costs include rent, rates, utilities and security. The figures relating to the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 take account of the fact that Lunar House, Croydon was also vacant pending refurbishment.The increase in the total estimated value of empty properties for years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is largely accounted for by the acquisition of property for the purposes of secure training centres by the Youth Justice Board and detention centres by the Immigration Nationality Directorate.

Immigration Appeals

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he (a) received a notice of appeal in respect of case IMM/G6193 and (b) referred the appeal to the Independent Appellate Authority.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 1 February 2002
	The appeal was received in the Home Office on 7 February 2002 and received by the Immigration Appellate Authority on 8 February 2002.

Fair Trade

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to encourage participation by his Department in Fair Trade Fortnight from 4 to 17 March.

Angela Eagle: The Home Office to coincide with Fair Trade Fortnight will be publishing an article on fair trade in the next edition of "Purchasing Matters", an internal periodical for all procurement staff. In the near future the Home Office will be holding a purchasing symposium on the issue of fair trade.
	The Department for International Development will be supporting the Fairtrade Foundation over the next three years by providing £120,000 in its effort to target new groups through the Fair Trade Fortnight campaigns. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for International Development will be attending the campaign launch on 4 March 2002.

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last four years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The available information relates to the cost of accountancy services from external providers in support of the following particular projects.
	
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) in the core Home Office 0 0 75,177 269,701 
			 Prison Service RAB Training and Development 0 0 67,920 1,165 
			 Accounting advice on treatment of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts 32,205 10,711 0 0 
			 Assistance with the Prison Service Quantum project 0 53,000 0 0 
			 Forensic Science Service Audit Fees 55,000 55,000 55,000 58,000 
			 Total 87,205 118,711 198,097 328,867

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has sought from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the possible locations of the proposed asylum accommodation centres and their proximity to foot and mouth disease burial sites.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), on 5 February 2002, Official Report, column 897W.

Local Language Groups (Lincolnshire)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population of (a) North Lincolnshire and (b) North-east Lincolnshire who speak (i) Arabic, (ii) Hindi, (iii) Urdu, (iv) Farsi/Dari and (v) Pashtu.

Angela Eagle: I assume my hon. Friend's question relates to the potential site for an asylum seeker accommodation centre that has been identified in her constituency. Given the broad range of facilities which will be provided within the accommodation centres and the self-contained nature of the centres, there is not the same need to inquire into local language groups that existed with dispersal to cluster regions as the risk of asylum seekers becoming isolated is greatly reduced.
	Information exists on the ethnic make-up of North Lincolnshire and North-east Lincolnshire from the last available census. It has been used previously to obtain information on ethnic communities within cluster areas and potential cluster areas within the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) regions.

Police Precept

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the cost of each police force was met by precept on local authorities in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

John Denham: holding answer 8 February 2002
	The figures are set out in the table.
	
		Proportion of net funding requirement met from council tax
		
			  1997–98 2001–02 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 16.2 19.6 
			 Bedfordshire 16.3 18.8 
			 Cambridgeshire 17.2 19.6 
			 Cheshire 17.1 18.6 
			 Cleveland 11.3 12.1 
			 Cumbria 15.6 21.2 
			 Derbyshire 16.0 19.7 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16.9 17.9 
			 Dorset 23.8 29.1 
			 Durham 12.3 11.4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 16.2 25.5 
			 Essex 18.9 22.1 
			 Gloucestershire 17.0 23.1 
			 GMP 11.4 12.0 
			 Gwent 13.4 19.1 
			 Hampshire 17.8 17.5 
			 Hertfordshire 19.3 23.6 
			 Humberside 12.8 17.2 
			 Kent 16.9 16.7 
			 Lancashire 13.6 15.0 
			 Leicestershire 15.0 18.7 
			 Lincolnshire 20.8 24.8 
			 Merseyside 11.7 13.5 
			 MPS 9.3 15.9 
			 Norfolk 17.1 22.4 
			 North Wales 15.7 22.4 
			 North Yorkshire 18.4 20.1 
			 Northamptonshire 21.4 22.1 
			 Northumbria 11.2 10.2 
			 Nottinghamshire 12.6 15.3 
			 South Wales 12.5 18.4 
			 South Yorkshire 12.1 12.2 
			 Staffordshire 15.8 23.3 
			 Suffolk 17.8 19.8 
			 Surrey 16.6 31.9 
			 Sussex 18.8 18.9 
			 Thames Valley 19.5 20.5 
			 Warwickshire 18.2 24.8 
			 West Mercia 18.7 23.7 
			 West Midlands 11.2 10.6 
			 West Yorkshire 12.1 12.2 
			 Wiltshire 18.6 24.6

Immigration and Nationality Department

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time is of Her Majesty's Immigration and Nationality Departments in Croydon to messages left through the hotline telephone service by hon. Members and their staff.

Angela Eagle: Statistics are not maintained, but the aim of the unit is to respond substantively to callers within seven days.
	The hotline is reliant upon a wide range of Government offices and agencies, including British diplomatic posts abroad, for information and documents. Where there is likely to be delay, the hotline will endeavour to contact the caller to let them know of this and when a full response is likely to be available.
	Next month will see the introduction of a new and much improved telephone system, which will allow the hotline to hold calls in a queue and provide callers with information while they wait for the call to be taken. The system will also enable calls to be voice recorded and will provide reports on performance which can be used as a means of on-going assessment and determining staff numbers.

Immigration and Nationality Department

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the hotline telephone service available to hon. Members from Her Majesty's Immigration and Nationality Department in Croydon.

Angela Eagle: The performance and working methods of the hotline are kept under regular review. Last autumn, the number of operators was increased from eight to 10 and their central function was more sharply defined as responding to calls promptly and offering general immigration advice.
	Next month will see the introduction of a new and much improved telephone system, which will allow the Hotline to hold calls in a queue and provide callers with information while they wait for the call to be taken. The system will also enable calls to be voice recorded and will provide reports on performance which can be used as a means of ongoing assessment and determining staff numbers.

Immigration and Nationality Department

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made on the response times of Her Majesty's Immigration and Nationality Department in Croydon to (a) messages and (b) queries made through their hotline telephone service by hon. Members and their staff.

Angela Eagle: There is currently no system for leaving voice messages for members of the hotline. The unit's fax machine is switched on permanently and faxed messages are allocated to operators upon receipt during normal working hours.
	All telephone calls and faxes to the hotline are logged on an electronic file and all hotline operators have access to that file. The information logged will include a date, agreed with the caller, for the operator to ring back with a substantive response or an interim progress report.
	The manager of the unit checks the electronic file at least once a week and any outstanding matters are identified and addressed without avoidable delay.
	Next month will see the introduction of a new and much improved telephone system, which will allow the hotline to hold calls in a queue and provide callers with information while they wait for the call to be taken. The system will also enable calls to be voice recorded and will provide reports on performance which can be used as a means of ongoing assessment and determining staff numbers.

Drivers (Violent Acts)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported cases involving violent acts by drivers there were in England and Wales in each of the last three years; how many of those convicted in the courts of such offences were (a) men and (b) women; how many were (i) sent to prison and (ii) fined; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Bradley: The information requested is not available. "Road rage" is not an offence covered by specific legislation and motorists involved in consequential criminal behaviour are likely to be charged with an offence appropriate to the circumstances (such as criminal damage, common assault or dangerous driving). The details of the circumstances of offences are not collected centrally.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) charged and (b) convicted in courts in England and Wales with the smuggling of (i) adults and (ii) children under the age of 18 years into this country in each of the last three years; and how many of those convicted were (A) sent to prison and (B) fined.

Keith Bradley: The available information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, relating to England and Wales for the years 1998 to 2000 is shown in the table. These data cover proceedings under the Immigration Act 1971 Sec.25(1) (a) and (b) as amended by the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Sec.5. No other offences connected with people smuggling can be separately identified in the statistics collected centrally, nor can the figures given be broken down according to the age of the people being smuggled.
	Statistics for 2001 are not yet available.
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has already indicated his intention to increase the maximum penalty for these offences to 14 years, and a range of further measures are under consideration.
	
		Persons proceeded against(22), convicted and sentenced at all courts for offences under the Immigration Act 1974 Sec.25(1)(a) and (b). England and Wales 1998 to 2000
		
			   Proceeded against Found guilty  
			 Offence description Statute 1998 1999 2000(23) 1998 1999 2000(23) 
		
		
			 Knowingly concerned in making or carrying out arrangements for securing or facilitating the entry into the UK of anyone whom he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be an illegal entrant Immigration Act 1974 Sec.25(1)(a) as amended by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Sec.5 193 233 199 115 150 145 
			 Knowingly concerned in making or carrying out arrangements for securing or facilitating the entry into the UK of anyone whom he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be an asylum claimant Immigration Act 1974 Sec.25(1)(b) as added by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Sec.5 4 20 11 3 6 3 
			   
			  Total 197 253 210 118 156 148 
		
	
	
		
			Sentenced  
			1998  1999  2000(23)  
			 Offence description Statute Custody(23) Fine Custody(24) Fine Custody(24) Fine 
		
		
			 Knowingly concerned in making or carrying out arrangements for securing or facilitating the entry into the UK of anyone whom he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be an illegal entrant Immigration Act 1974 Sec.25(1)(a) as amended by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Sec.5 137 — 146 — 146 — 
			 Knowingly concerned in making or carrying out arrangements for securing or facilitating the entry into the UK of anyone whom he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be an asylum claimant Immigration Act 1974 Sec.25(1)(b) as added by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 Sec.5 3 — 3 — 3 — 
			   
			  Total 140 — 149 — 149 — 
		
	
	(22) Figures provided are on the principal immigration offence basis
	(23) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data these data are not robust at a detailed level and have been excluded from this table.
	(24) The numbers sentenced to custody may exceed those found guilty as they may include those committed for sentence from the magistrates courts in the previous year.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been trafficked into the UK from other European countries in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: Forming an accurate estimate of the levels of trafficking in people is problematic due to the hidden nature of the act. There are currently no accurate, reliable data in existence within the United Kingdom or the European Union. A Home Office research study "Stopping Traffic" (Police Research Series 125) published in 2000 indicated that although there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the United Kingdom for the purposes of sexual exploitation, it was impossible to make an accurate assessment of numbers, but that it was likely to be in the range of 140 to 1,400 per annum.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department has taken with other European countries to stop the trafficking of women from those countries into the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: Effective action against an organised crime, which does not respect borders, requires close co-operation with other countries, particularly with our European Union (EU) partners. The European Council at Tampere set out an agenda for tackling illegal immigration, especially human trafficking. We welcome the progress already made there, including the directive on smuggling and two framework decisions on smuggling and trafficking. We intend to legislate to give effect to the EU directive and framework decision on the facilitation of unauthorised entry, movement and residence when a suitable opportunity arises.
	All EU member states have established a formal network of Immigration Liaison Officers (ILOs) following guidelines adopted at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 29 May 2001. They work alongside other United Kingdom (UK) liaison officers as part of the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) overseas network. UK-based law enforcement agencies work closely with Europol and ILOs.
	The UK is contributing to the EU STOP programme, which was set up by a joint action of the European Council in 1996 to support member state organisations responsible for action against the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. A European Council decision of 28 June 2001 established a second phase of this programme (STOP II). Of the projects submitted in the year 2001 funding round, 15 had UK involvement. Of these, 12 organisations were successful and the UK takes the lead with five projects through NCIS and other agencies and organisations.
	The UK is also working with EU "Candidate Countries" on twinning projects to assist them in combating organised crime, including organised immigration crime. In close co-operation with the member states and the applicant countries, the Belgian Presidency organised a High Impact Operation at the future eastern borders of the EU in September-October 2001. The UK and Ireland were paired with the Czech Republic. This co-operation also comprised technical assistance, exchange of expertise and the development of intelligence.

People Trafficking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities exist to help women who have been trafficked into the UK to return to their homes; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: As announced in the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven", we are currently preparing a pilot programme to support victims of exploitation escape their circumstances. Working with the voluntary sector, we will assist people to return home, and ensure that they have the support necessary to ensure that their return is safe and dignified. We envisage that the programme under development will provide initial counselling, and suitable accommodation for victims to return to, which will help them reintegrate into the community and find employment.
	We intend to develop a best practice 'toolkit' to help those who deal with illegal immigrants and trafficking victims to distinguish victims in genuine need and to deal with them appropriately. This toolkit will be important for practitioners, chiefly police and immigration officers, who will use it to identify victims and ensure that the right procedures are followed to provide victims with the support and help they need. It will be a comprehensive summary of best practice based on 'what works'.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many man hours on average it has taken to process a student visa application in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only by scrutiny of individual case files at a disproportionate cost. The length of time to process an application varies from case to case.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for student visas were received in each of the last six months.

Angela Eagle: The available information is given in the following table.
	The information relates to decisions on applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a student. The latest available data are for the period July to December 2000. Data for 2001 are due to be published later this year.
	
		Grants and refusals of extensions of leave to remain(25) in the United Kingdom as a student, July to September 2000 -- Number of decisions
		
			  Grants Refusals Total 
		
		
			 July 5,200 430 5,630 
			 August 6,130 340 6,470 
			 September 8,070 280 8,350 
			 October 10,150 140 10,290 
			 November 8,600 450 9,050 
			 December 5,480 220 5,700 
			  
			 Total 43,620 1,860 45,490 
		
	
	(25) Excludes dependants of principal applicants, the outcome of appeals and withdrawn applications.
	Notes:
	Data rounded to the nearest 10; because of this the sum of constituent items may not agree with the total as shown.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his target of three weeks' average for the processing of student visa applications starts on the day of receipt and not the day of being entered on the computer.

Angela Eagle: The target of processing all straightforward applications within three weeks has been measured from the date of receipt until now. As a result of the business process changes recently introduced, this will in future be measured from the date on which the application is posted by the applicant.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many clerical staff were engaged in processing student visas in each of the years (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01;
	(2)  how many clerical staff have been engaged in processing student visas in each of the last six months.

Angela Eagle: There are no staff dealing only with applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom for the purpose of following a course of study. The average number of staff involved in the initial processing of new postal immigration applications in each of these years was as follows: 60 in 1998–99; 115 in 1999–2000; and 160 in 2000–01, but over the last six months this has increased to 190 staff.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it clear on the appropriate form and on his Department's website that applications for student visas sent by unregistered post cannot thereafter be traced until the visa is finally granted.

Angela Eagle: This now is not the case; as a result of the business process changes introduced over recent months, all new applications are opened and entered on to a case information database within a very few days of receipt and updated at each stage of the process. This has brought about a significant improvement in our ability to trace all individual applications as they are processed.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how applications for student visas sent by (a) registered and (b) unregistered post are treated.

Angela Eagle: All applications are processed in the same way irrespective of the method of posting. The only advantage of registered mail is that the barcode on the package allows it to be registered on to a database as soon as it is received.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time from receipt of an application for a student visa to its entry on the computer was in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: This information is not currently available. We are introducing a Casework Information Database which, when fully operational, will enable us to monitor our performance on general immigration casework more effectively.

Student Visas

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has made for independent bench marking of the Student Visa Service.

Angela Eagle: Although not specifically aimed at students the Integrated Casework Directorate is conducting a self-assessment of its general casework process using the European Foundation of Quality Management, with a view to independent assessment of benchmarking in due course.

Health and Safety (Computers)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees in his Department who regularly use computers have taken up the provision of a free eye test; and how this service is advertised to (a) current and (b) new staff.

Angela Eagle: The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, effective January 1993, require employers to provide and pay for, upon request from an employee designated as a user, an eye and eyesight test. There is a requirement for further tests at regular intervals; the optometrist doing the first test can recommend when the next one should be. In addition, employers must pay the cost of special spectacles required where normal ones cannot be used.
	Comprehensive figures are not held centrally, but the available information shows that in the period 1 April 2001 to 14 February this year 782 staff in the core Home Office and Prison Service Headquarters had a free eye and eyesight test.
	This free provision is advertised throughout the Department by various means. A revised Home Office Notice was issued in August last year. In addition other means of drawing the provision to the attention of staff include information notices to staff, global e-mails, health and safety notice boards, Prison Service Orders, handbooks, and induction course material.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members of the Victims Steering Group; how often the group meet; and whether minutes of the meetings are available to the public.

Keith Bradley: The Victims Steering Group, formed in 1985, meets twice a year and its membership is comprised of representatives from the following:
	Home Office Justice and Victims Unit
	Home Office National Probation Directorate
	Home Office Research and Statistics Unit
	Prison Service
	Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	Association of Chief Officers of Probation
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Lord Chancellor's Department
	Justices' Clerk's Society
	Magistrates Association
	Judiciary
	Victim Support.
	The minutes of meetings are not published. The Victims Steering Group was formally disbanded at a meeting in November 2001, as it was recognised that the new services for victims in recent years, together with planned developments, required a more proactive, delivery focused national group. Consideration is being given currently to the terms of reference and membership of this replacement body.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how victims are classified for the purposes of the Victims' Charter; and how many victims have utilised the service since its inception, broken down by (a) region and (b) type.

Keith Bradley: The Victims' Charter applies to all individual victims of theft, burglary, criminal damage, arson, assault, domestic violence, racial harassment, sexual crimes and homicide. It also applies to the parents or carers of child victims of any of these offences, and to the relatives or close friends of homicide victims.
	The second version of the Charter, published in 1996, sets out 27 standards of service which victims should expect to receive from individual criminal justice agencies—the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the courts, the National Probation Service, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, the Prison Service, and Victim Support.
	No central record is kept of the number of victims who have made use of the services provided by each agency since the first Charter was introduced in 1990.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra help victims of serious crime have received; how many victims have received extra help (a) per year and (b) broken down by region; and how serious crime is defined in this respect.

Keith Bradley: Victim Support offer help and support to all victims of crime, and will gauge how much help a victim needs according to the seriousness of the offence and the effect it has had on the victim. Most victims of crime will be automatically referred to Victim Support by the police, unless the victim specifically states he/she does not want this to happen. Victims of serious crimes will only have their details passed to Victim Support with their expressed consent. In this context, serious crimes are defined as sexual offences, domestic violence or homicide.
	Information is not collected centrally which lists how many victims have received extra help (a) per year and (b) broken down by region.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which agencies have consulted victims since 1977; what the subject of the consultation was; and whether the reports are available to the public.

Keith Bradley: Information is not collected centrally on which agencies have consulted victims; what the subject of the consultation was; or whether the reports are available to the public.
	The most significant recent consultation involving victims was a review of the Victims' Charter. A consultation paper was issued on 28 February 2001 seeking views on issues such as a bill of rights for victims, the establishment of a Victims' Ombudsman, and whether victims of road traffic incidents should receive the services provided to victims of crime. The consultation period ended on 15 June 2001, and 120 responses were received, including 49 from individual victims. A summary of responses was placed in the Library and on the Home Office website in July 2001.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how victims are informed of the (a) Victims' Charter and (b) Victims' Support Group.

Keith Bradley: After reporting a crime, all victims will be given the opportunity, by the police, to be contacted by Victim Support if they so wish. At or about the same time, the "Victims of Crime" leaflet is also issued by the police, and it outlines how Victim Support can be contacted directly. Victims are also made aware of Victim Support through television programmes such as "Crimewatch UK".
	The Victims' Charter is available at police stations, at Victim Support Schemes, and from some public libraries and is published on the Home Office website.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how criminals in prison are informed of the victim support service; and how many visits have been undertaken by the victim support service to prisoners who have alleged that they have been sexually abused, broken down by prison since inception of the service.

Keith Bradley: Victim Support is an independent charitable organisation which receives grant aid from the Home Office (£25 million in 2001–02) to provide support to victims of crime and to witnesses.
	There is no requirement for Prison Service staff to inform prisoners who allege that they have become victims of crime about the services of Victim Support. However, if a prisoner had a need for such information and sought it from a member of staff, such as his personal officer, probation officer or a health care worker, the information would be provided.
	Victim Support advise that they work from a non-judgmental position, and accept that a prisoner can become a victim and thus qualify for their support. Victim Support schemes are accordingly willing to visit prisoners on request and with permission from the prison authorities. They do not collate data on how many prison visits have taken place.

Victims of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals in prison who are victims of crime (a) have been taken to visit courts before their case is started and (b) have had seats reserved for a friend or relative, broken down by area since inception of the service; and what recent research he has undertaken to examine the link between abused children and their potential to become abusive adults.

Keith Bradley: The Witness Service, run by the voluntary organisation Victim Support, can arrange pre-trial visits to familiarise victims of crime with the layout of the court and the courtroom. No statistics are collected on how many victims, including those serving prison sentences, take advantage of this opportunity, nor how often seats are reserved for a friend or relative during the trial itself.
	The Home Department has not conducted any recent research to examine the link between abused children and their potential to become abusive adults.

Northumbria Police

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answers given to the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, columns 231–36W, and the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 242W, if he will clarify the numbers of (a) uniformed and (b) civilian staff employed by Northumbria police in September 2001.

John Denham: I regret that the information set out in the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 242W, contained a transcription error. The table recorded police strength of 3,908 at August 2001 as the figure for September 2001.
	Northumbria police strength on 30 September 2001 was 3,893. This is 75 more than in September 2000 and 216 more than in March 1997. The force had 1,346 civilian support staff at the end of September 2001.

Prison Population (Wales)

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners there were in Wales (a) at the last available date and (b) in each of the last five years broken down by the offence committed.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Data showing the total number of persons in prisons in Wales is provided in the table. These persons are held in Cardiff, Swansea, Parc and Usk (including Prescoed) prisons. They would not necessarily have lived in Wales before they were imprisoned.
	
		Number of persons(26) in prison in Wales on the 30 of each year broken down by year and offence groups
		
			 Offence group 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(27) 
		
		
			 Affray 29 22 23 33 24 19 
			 Arson 11 20 23 18 18 36 
			 Assaults 11 11 16 17 22 39 
			 Blackmail 1 2 1 5 1 2 
			 Breach of court order 8 24 20 21 19 19 
			 Buggery and indecency between males 27 25 26 27 19 26 
			 Burglary 237 350 373 315 291 332 
			 Criminal damage 53 55 54 32 43 56 
			 Cruelty to children 2 2 4 1 2 7 
			 Drug offences 124 206 206 186 248 280 
			 Drunkenness 2 1 3 1 8 — 
			 Forgery 2 3 2 — 4 2 
			 Frauds 25 29 24 21 30 29 
			 Gross indecency with children 37 44 35 42 44 42 
			 Handling stolen goods 33 31 40 21 24 34 
			 Immigration Act 1971 3 4 — — 47 2 
			 In charge or driving drink/drugs 13 31 27 23 30 22 
			 Kidnapping 5 3 12 6 11 6 
			 Manslaughter 2 5 5 11 9 16 
			 Murder 28 27 23 27 33 33 
			 Not recorded — — — — 1 1 
			 Offence not recorded 19 18 53 46 35 41 
			 Other criminal offences 15 41 42 38 38 32 
			 Other homicide and attempted homicide 28 49 47 43 33 51 
			 Other motoring offences 92 97 115 134 135 138 
			 Other non-criminal offences 4 2 3 — — 2 
			 Other offences of VATP 25 37 26 37 30 35 
			 Other sexual offences 65 74 100 92 89 97 
			 Other thefts 90 145 159 127 148 157 
			 Perjury/libel/pervert the course of justice 18 19 29 17 17 22 
			 Rape 95 124 134 121 125 125 
			 Robbery 93 107 127 118 122 128 
			 Taking and driving away 56 62 60 56 59 50 
			 Threat/disorderly behaviour 10 13 11 7 9 11 
			 Violent disorder 2 14 7 12 7 17 
			 Wounding 172 242 267 251 268 282 
			  
			 Total 1,437 1,939 2,097 1,906 2,043 2,191 
		
	
	(26) Includes persons held on remand
	(27) Data for 31 January

Overseas Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) working holiday and (b) other visas were granted to overseas teachers to work (i) for employment agencies and (ii) as teachers in the academic year 2000–01.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 26 February 2002
	I regret that the information on working holiday makers admitted to the United Kingdom does not separately identify those who are teachers.
	Work permits are not normally issued to employment agencies. However since October 2000 under a temporary variation to the work permit arrangements, work permits have been issued to teacher agencies. The number of work permits issued to teaching agencies during the academic year 2000–01 was 743.
	The number of work permits granted for teachers in the 2000–01 academic year was 3,444.

Overseas Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas teachers, having been granted a visa related to a post in a particular maintained school, have applied to transfer that visa to allow them to work in a different school; and how many of these transfers were granted, in each of the terms of the 2000–01 school year.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 26 February 2002
	The number of applications received and approved for overseas teachers already holding work permits and moving from one post to another during the 2000–01 academic year was:
	
		
			 Term Number 
		
		
			 Autumn 12 
			 Spring 27 
			 Summer 139

Prisoners

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mentoring services are available to (a) children and (b) adults in prisons in England and Wales.

Beverley Hughes: The main mentoring service available to prisoners aged 18 and over is the "Listener" scheme, which operates in 112 prisons in England and Wales. The Samaritans train selected prisoners to offer help and support to prisoners who are feeling distressed, providing a "listening ear" to their peers from someone who understands the situation they are in. Listeners are available 24 hours a day to any prisoner who requests to see one, anywhere in the prison.
	The Prison Service is working with the Youth Justice Board, the Samaritans, and other voluntary organisations to establish and develop appropriate mentoring arrangements for juveniles in custody. The Young Men's Christian Association already offers support to juveniles in three establishments.
	Other mentoring schemes operate locally and many are linked to drug rehabilitation programmes. Such programmes use 'graduates' to provide peer support for those currently working through the course. These mentors often run support groups as well as providing one to one help.

Prisoners

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average distance from home is for (a) adult male prisoners, (b) women prisoners and (c) juvenile prisoners.

Beverley Hughes: The latest figures, as at 30 September 2001, are set out in the table.
	
		Miles 
		
			 Population Group Average distance from home(28) 
		
		
			 Adult male prisoners  
			 18 to 20-year-olds 49 
			 Over 20-year-olds 53 
			   
			 Women prisoners (all ages) 66 
			 Juvenile prisoners (males and females) 53 
		
	
	(28) Where a home address is not recorded a prisoner's committal court town has been used in the average distance from home calculation. Evidence suggests that in most cases the court and home towns are the same.

Prison Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the Prison Service key performance target for cost per prisoner is £37,509 in this financial year; and what the cost per prisoner was in 2000–01.

Beverley Hughes: The cost per prisoner target of £37,509 in 2001–02 is generated by dividing the full resource cost of the Prison Service, reflecting the move to resource accounting, by the projected average prisoner population. The full resource cost takes into account factors such as the depreciation of assets and the cost of capital charge.
	The cost per prisoner outturn for 2000–01 was £27,636. This was based upon cash costs only and therefore did not take account of the factors such as depreciation and the cost of capital that are now appropriate under resource accounting.

Prison Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the Prison Service key performance target for the cost of an uncrowded prison place is £36,323 in this financial year; and what the cost of a prison place was in 2000–01.

Beverley Hughes: The cost of the uncrowded prison place target of £36,323 in 2001–02 is generated by dividing the full resource cost of the Prison Service, reflecting the move to resource accounting, by the projected average certified normal accommodation. The full resource cost takes into account factors such as the depreciation of assets and the cost of capital charge.
	The cost per uncrowded prison place outturn for 2000–01 was £27,090. This was based upon cash costs only and therefore did not take account of the factors such as depreciation and the cost of capital that are now appropriate under resource accounting.

Prison Conditions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances prisoners are permitted to be held more than two to a cell.

Beverley Hughes: Prisoners are permitted to be held more than two to a cell when the accommodation has been certified by the area manager, in accordance with the 1952 Prison Act and the Prison/Young Offender Institution Rules, as being suitable for holding more than two prisoners.

Female Imprisonment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases involving women were heard at (a) magistrates courts and (b) crown courts in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of these cases resulted in a sentence of immediate imprisonment.

Keith Bradley: The available information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, is set out in the table.
	Statistics for 2001 are not yet available.
	
		Women proceeded against at court and those sentenced to immediate custody, by month, England and Wales, 2000—Magistrates courts
		
			   of which:  
			 Month Women proceeded against(29) Sentenced(30) Given immediate custody Percentage given immediate custody(32) 
		
		
			 January 23,250 18,125 425 2.3 
			 February 26,822 20,854 562 2.7 
			 March 29,753 23,247 563 2.4 
			 April 23,634 18,571 425 2.3 
			 May 27,294 21,482 457 2.1 
			 June 27,319 21,334 611 2.9 
			 July 27,144 21,174 538 2.5 
			 August 26,498 20,744 497 2.4 
			 September 26,871 21,150 463 2.2 
			 October 27,489 21,786 438 2.0 
			 November 31,565 24,700 448 1.8 
			 December 21,901 17,317 351 2.0 
			  
			 Total 319,540 250,484 5,778 2.3 
		
	
	
		Women proceeded against at court and those sentenced to immediate custody, by month, England and Wales, 2000— The Crown Court
		
			   of which:  
			 Month Women tried(31) Sentenced(31) Given immediate custody Percentage given immediate custody(32) 
		
		
			 January 467 435 145 33.3 
			 February 515 478 195 40.8 
			 March 654 613 214 34.9 
			 April 452 428 152 35.5 
			 May 546 501 195 38.9 
			 June 555 526 197 37.5 
			 July 526 473 179 37.8 
			 August 365 366 149 40.7 
			 September 547 514 200 38.9 
			 October 500 448 177 39.5 
			 November 548 450 172 38.2 
			 December 398 374 147 39.3 
			  
			 Total 6,073 5,606 2,122 37.9 
		
	
	(29) Includes only prosecutions against women completed in magistrates courts including those committed for sentence to the Crown Court.
	(30) Includes those sentenced in the magistrates courts and committed for sentence in the Crown Court.
	(31) Excludes women committed for sentence.
	(32) Expressed as a percentage of those sentenced.

Crime Statistics

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people who have been convicted of (a) violent crime, (b) sex abuse and (c) domestic violence since 1997 were subject to any of these offences as children.

Keith Bradley: The information requested is not available centrally, as the Home Office Court Proceedings Database contains no information on the circumstances of individual cases nor the histories of those appearing before the courts.

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals who have been convicted of sex abuse have refused to attend sex offenders treatment programmes in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: There are no figures kept centrally about the number of prisoners convicted of sex abuse who have refused to take part in the sex offenders treatment programme and this information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reimburse local authorities for their expenditure on supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

David Blunkett: I have laid before Parliament today a Special Grant Report which sets out the arrangements for reimbursing local authorities in England for the costs of supporting Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) as a result of their duties under the Children Act 1989.
	The Special Grant Report explains the areas of expenditure which will be eligible for the grant and the time scales for local authorities to make their claims.
	As I outlined in the White Paper we will continue to offer appropriate levels of care to UASC and the Home Office leads the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children's Stakeholder Group. One key element of this is to ensure that we can sift out adults posing as children and deter those seeking to abuse the system. Home Office staff are already taking steps to challenge older applicants and divert them to the adult asylum process.
	We are exploring opportunities for better sharing of costs across the country and in particular the joint commissioning of accommodation for unaccompanied minors who are 16 or 17 on arrival. We are already doing more to support local authorities by improving information exchange and UASC will be included as part of the asylum audit. It is important that financial support to local authorities provides fairly for essential needs and encourages good value for money.

Asylum Seekers

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department into which languages the information leaflets for asylum seekers in induction centres are translated; and if he will place a copy of the English language leaflet, and the document asylum seekers are required to sign, in the Library.

Angela Eagle: It is intended to produce a comprehensive briefing package in 31 languages. These are:
	Albanian
	Amharic
	Arabic
	Bengali
	Chinese Simplified
	Croat
	Czech
	Dari
	Farsi
	French
	Gujurati
	Kurmanji
	Kurdish soorani
	Lingala
	Lithuanian
	Ndebele
	Nepali
	Pashto
	Polish
	Portuguese
	Punjabi
	Romanian
	Russian
	Serbian
	Shoria
	Spanish
	Swahili
	Tamil
	Turkish
	Ukranian
	Urdu.
	The induction system is an evolving process and as such literature is still subject to change better to reflect the whole end to end asylum process. National Asylum Support Service (NASS), in conjunction with voluntary sector organisations, is in the process of refining and producing a raft of material for issue to those asylum seekers going through the induction process. This includes the 'client diary' which asylum seekers are asked to sign. When the material is finalised I shall arrange for an English language copy to be placed in the Library.

Asylum Seekers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of race-related crimes have been reported involving asylum seekers since the introduction of the Government's dispersal policy; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Detailed statistics are not collected centrally on race-related crimes involving asylum seekers. The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) records the numbers of allegations of racial harassment made by asylum seekers and their dependants in receipt of NASS support. Between May 2000 to December 2001 NASS investigations team recorded 1,159 allegations of racial harassment.
	When NASS first learns of such incidents it always ensures that they have been reported to the relevant local police, who have prime responsibility for investigating the allegation. If, following police advice, it is decided that safety or wellbeing of an asylum seeker, who is receiving NASS support, is in any doubt NASS would arrange to move that person to alternative accommodation while the case is under investigation.
	If an asylum seeker does not wish to report allegations of harassment to the police, they can do so through their solicitor who can make a report on their behalf, or an asylum seeker can report the incident to their landlord. Alternatively, there are voluntary organisations with whom an asylum seeker can report and discuss their concerns. The voluntary organisation would then liaise with NASS as regards further action.

Asylum Seekers

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when final decisions regarding the sites of accommodation centres for asylum seekers within the UK will be taken.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 461W.

Asylum Seekers

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 302W, if he will place in the Library the two recent letters received from Merseyside police in relation to the use of Landmark and Inn on the Park to house asylum seekers.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 5 February 2002
	I am making arrangements for copies of these letters to be placed in the Library.

Police Station Cells

Alan Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cells there were in police stations in England and Wales in 1999.

John Denham: Information on the number of cells in police stations is not held centrally.

Firearms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many reported offences involving the use of (a) firearms and (b) hand guns there were in each of the last six years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many (a) killings and (b) crimes causing personal injury involving all types of firearms there were in each of the last six years for which records exist;
	(3)  how many (a) killings and (b) crimes causing personal injury involving the use of hand guns there were in each of the last six years for which records exist.

John Denham: The requested details for homicides and injuries caused by use of firearms, injuries caused by the use of handguns, and offences involving handguns and firearms in general in England and Wales are given in tables 3.1, 3.3 and 3.7 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 2000", which was published in December 2001 and is available in the Library. The numbers of homicides in which a handgun was used are as follows:
	
		Number of homicides using a handgun in England and Wales
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 1995(33) 39 
			 1996(33) 30 
			 1997(33) 39 
			 1998–99(34) 32 
			 1999–2000(34) 42 
			 2000–01(34) 47 
		
	
	(33) Calendar years
	(34) Years ending March

HEALTH

MRSA

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of Quat Phen in combating MRSA.

Yvette Cooper: We are not aware of Quat Phen being used within installed ventilation systems used in NHS hospitals with respect to combating MRSA.
	However antiseptics and antibiotics are used to treat people who are carriers of MRSA, are colonised with MRSA, or have local or systemic MRSA infections. The treatment used depends on the condition to be treated, and on the strain of MRSA.

Organ Donation

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent initiatives his Department has implemented to encourage people to become organ donors.

Jacqui Smith: There have been numerous wide- ranging initiatives in England to raise the public's awareness of the shortage of organs for transplantation. The Department runs a public information campaign with a current annual budget of £900,000. A public information leaflet incorporating the organ donor card is widely distributed, and is also available through the Organ Donor Literature line. The campaign is further enhanced by securing free TV airtime for short public information films, a campaign website and partnerships and arrangements with the DVLA, the Passport Agency, rotarian clubs, Boots the Chemist and some banks who have chosen organ donation as a cause to support.
	The Department runs a special campaign to raise awareness among members of the Asian Community. This includes short TV films featuring well known Asian personalities and leaflets in various languages. Awareness is also raised by maintaining a presence at cultural and religious events, and by facilitation of debate on this issue at forums set up within Asian communities. Phase three of this campaign was launched in September this year.
	A similar campaign targeting the African and African-Caribbean communities is planned for launch in spring 2002. The campaign will feature a public information leaflet, targeting advertising and public relations.
	The Department funds the work of the voluntary organisations through the Section 64 Grant Scheme, including a major initiative to raise awareness by the National Kidney Research Fund. We are also helping to promote the Transplant Partnership's 2001 Christmas initiative "sign one more card this Christmas" by using the specially designed franking stamp and encouraging other organisations to do the same.

Nursing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under which circumstances the NHS might pay a retainer for the nursing costs to a nursing home during a time a person is in hospital.

Jacqui Smith: The circumstances in which the National Health Service will pay a retainer should be set out in the contract which the NHS agrees with the nursing home.

Nursing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities and primary care trusts have completed their determinations of the banding of nursing care for those who were resident in nursing homes at 1 October 2001 and were paying for their own fees; for those health authorities and primary care trusts which have not yet completed the determinations, how many each authority has outstanding; how many health authorities and primary care trusts have not yet begun their determinations; if the Government plan to pay interest to those people whose determinations of the banding of nursing care have not been completed by the end of December 2001; and for each health authority and primary care trust that has completed the determinations, what percentage of residents has been placed in (a) the lowest band, (b) the middle band, (c) the highest band, (d) a higher level based on individual need and (e) the percentage found to require fully funded NHS care.

Jacqui Smith: Preliminary information available from regions of the position at the end of December, indicates that around 80 per cent. of the nursing homes with residents eligible for National Health Service funded nursing care had had their residents' needs for care determined by a registered nurse. The majority of the remaining assessments were completed by the end of January.
	Around 99 per cent. of people in nursing homes whose needs have been determined have been found to be eligible. Of those whose needs have been determined, around 19 per cent. have been allocated to the low band; 58 per cent. to the middle band; and 22 per cent. to the high band. The information collected did not include those found to require fully funded NHS care, but the Department is aware that this has occurred in a significant number of cases.
	The NHS is funding care from a registered nurse, which is being provided by the nursing home and payments are made to the home for that care from October 2001.

Nursing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether Welsh residents who move to a nursing home in England will receive NHS funding under (a) the Welsh or (b) the English scheme;
	(2)  whether English residents who move to a nursing home in Wales will receive NHS funding under (a) the Welsh or (b) the English scheme.

Jacqui Smith: Residents will receive funding for their nursing care from the authority that is responsible for their health care. In general, this means that residents will receive funding under the scheme of the country in which the nursing home is situated.

Nursing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to ensure that additional administration costs incurred by a home as a result of the implementation of free nursing care are not passed on to the resident.

Jacqui Smith: The national health service is working at a local level to minimise the administrative burdens on both the NHS and nursing homes. Local agreements should ensure that administration costs are not passed on as a separate charge to individuals.

In-patients (Hertfordshire)

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage was of patients waiting for in-patient treatment in the Hertfordshire Health Authority on (a) 1 January 2001 and (b) 1 January 2002.

John Hutton: Hertfordshire Health Authority in-patients as a percentage of total waiting for treatment on 1 January 2001 is 49.3 per cent. Figures for 2002 are not yet available.
	These data are nationally published data taken from regional offices data systems.

Migraine Treatment

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance he has issued on treatment available to migraine and chronic headache sufferers.

Jacqui Smith: We have issued no recent guidance on treatment for either migraine or chronic headache sufferers.

Hearing Aids

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) digital and (b) analogue hearing aids are fitted in the NHS.

Jacqui Smith: Figures on total numbers of hearing aids purchased by the national health service are not collected centrally. However, figures are collected in respect of the modernising hearing aid services project. To the end of January 2002, 22,346 digital and 1,243 analogue aids were fitted to adults by the 20 hospitals involved in the project.

Hearing Aids

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts will provide digital hearing aids following the Government announcement on 24 December 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We have invited expressions of interest by 1 March 2002 from all health communities not yet involved in the modernising hearing aid services project. We will make decisions shortly about which sites will be included.

Care Homes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest estimate he has available is of the (a) cost of implementing physical changes to residential and nursing homes and (b) annual cost of staffing implication resulting from the Care Standards Act 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The latest estimate of the cost of compliance with the new standards and regulations for care homes was published in the regulatory impact assessment, which was placed in the Library in December 2001.

Care Homes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) longest times waited by patients assessed as needing a care home whilst on an acute assessment ward before leaving the ward for a care home were in the last 12 months (i) in the UK and (ii) in North Yorkshire.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally in the form requested.

Ageism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how the £12 million dedicated to countering ageism in the NHS has been allocated.

Jacqui Smith: No such allocation of dedicated funding has been made. The programme of action provided by the National Service Framework for Older People to address the issues of age discrimination is centred on giving older people fair access to all services. This is regardless of age, on the basis of clinical need in the national health service, and in social care services by ending the use of age in eligibility criteria to restrict access to available services. Older people as the major users of health and social care services will benefit from increased levels of funding over the coming years, building on the announcements in the NHS Plan.

Fertility Treatment

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NICE guidelines for fertility treatment will be published.

Hazel Blears: I understand that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has not yet published a timetable for development of these guidelines.

Accountancy Contracts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the (a) number and (b) value of contracts awarded by his Department to (i) Arthur Andersen, (ii) Deloitte Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iv) KPMG and (v) PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The Department does not centrally hold a record of individual contracts. However our financial records show the following total payments made by the Department (excluding its agencies) to (i) Arthur Andersen, (ii) Deloitte Touche, (iii) Ernst and Young, (iv) KPMG and (v) PricewaterhouseCoopers by fiscal year since April 1997:
	
		£ 
		
			   1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 (i) Andersen 51,547 7,226 0.00 1,774 0.00 
			 (ii) Deloitte Touche 72,350 45,445 11,083 55,604 342,730 
			 (iii) Ernst and Young 26,229 18,211 23.00 30,918 66,676 
			 (iv) KPMG 331,712 166,943 222,802 33,054 1,147,785 
			 (v) PricewaterhouseCoopers 143,710 196,890 244,699 1,039,566 308,364

Working Conditions and Practices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in his Department on a job share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: Employees working on job-share contracts are recorded as "part-time" workers. It is therefore not possible to identify the number of staff employed on a job-share contract, as the figures do not differentiate between those actually employed part-time and those employed specifically on a job-share contract.
	The policy of the Department is to assume that all jobs are capable of being carried out on a part-time basis and, therefore, no specific reference is made in advertisements to the fact that the post is suitable for part-time working. Recruiting managers are expected to make reasonable adjustments to job descriptions or other aspects of the job to meet the needs of applicants with non-standard working hours or working patterns.

Working Conditions and Practices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department; how much compensation has been paid to employees; how many work days have been lost due to work-related stress, and at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress, and at what cost, in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Department does not hold any data specifically on the number of reported cases of work related stress. While the Department collects data on sickness absence, which includes stress, it is not possible to identify if the cause of the 'stress related illness' was work related. It is not possible, therefore, to identify costs.
	The Department's settlement/compensation payments are made to address a number of circumstances, of which work-related stress is only one element. Central records giving compensation payments on the grounds of work-related stress are not recorded separately.
	The Department has a number of procedures in place to help managers and staff to be aware of and to reduce work-related stress. The Department has:
	issued guidance for managers and staff in line with health and safety legislation on 'Working Time Regulations'.
	Has a mental health policy that recognises that stress at work is a significant contributor to mental health problems.
	Issued guidance to managers and staff on the causes of stress and how to reduce this.
	Provides staff with a free confidential counselling service, "Care First", and
	encourages its staff to attend relevant training or discuss any concerns with their line managers.
	These are established procedures and there is no on-going cost to the Department, with the exception of the "Care First" providers, which are contracted by the Department at an annual cost of £77,000.
	As part of the 'revitalising health & safety' initiative aspects of the above will be reviewed in relation to stress in the workplace.

St. George's Hospital, Tooting

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial allocation has been made to St George's Hospital, Tooting in each of the last 10 years.

John Hutton: St George's Healthcare National Health Service trust does not receive a financial allocation but receives income for the services it provides to other NHS organisations. The Trust also receives income from other sources including overseas and private patients as well as funding for education, training, research and development.
	St George's was established on April 1 1993. The total income of the Trust since its establishment is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Income 
		
		
			 1993–94 139,109 
			 1994–95 143,092 
			 1995–96 152,098 
			 1996–97 161,793 
			 1997–98 173,135 
			 1998–99 185,927 
			 1999–2000 227,622 
			 2000–01 223,195 
		
	
	Note
	The Trust received additional one off funds in 1999–2000 to offset impairments to fixed assets (£21 million).

Thrombolysis Treatment

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at which hospital A and E departments thrombolysis treatment is not available.

Hazel Blears: All Accident and Emergency Departments have the capability to provide thrombolysis for patients suffering from heart attacks and the vast majority provides this treatment. In a very small number of trusts, arrangements for the management of patients with heart attacks include rapid admission to Coronary Care Units for thrombolysis rather than treatment in the Accident and Emergency Department.

Thrombolysis Treatment

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at which hospital with coronary care units thrombolysis treatment is not available.

Yvette Cooper: Thrombolysis treatment is available at all coronary care units. Providing thrombolysis for heart attack patients as quickly as possible is the subject of one of the standards set out in the National Service Framework, our ten-year programme for improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease.

Thrombolysis Treatment

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when thrombolysis treatment will be made available at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Jacqui Smith: Thrombolysis treatment has been administered at Hull Royal Infirmary since 1987.

Hospital Waiting Times

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long waiting times are and how many people are waiting for referral to cancer specialists in the Hull and East Riding over the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: In Hull and East Riding patients waiting to see a cancer specialist, with few exceptions, are seen in outpatients within a week and inpatients within two to three days.

Hospital Waiting Times

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long waiting times are and how many people are waiting for examinations for cancer in Hull and the East Riding.

Jacqui Smith: Patients in Hull and East Riding, who are referred by their general practitioner with suspected cancer, should be seen within two weeks in accordance with the NHS cancer plan targets.
	From January to December 2001, of the 2,413 patients referred via the two week wait process only 15 waited longer than two weeks and all of these were seen within 42 days of urgent GP referral.

Hospital Waiting Times

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many have waited longer than eight weeks to see a cancer specialist after being referred by their GP in Hull and the East Riding in the past 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: Health authority records show that, in Hull and East Riding, 2,413 patients were referred via the two week wait process from January to December 2001. Of these only 15 waited longer than two weeks and all of these were seen within 42 days of urgent general practitioner referral.

Hospital Waiting Times

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients admitted to A and E departments in Hull and East Riding have waited more than 12 hours before being treated in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: All patients waiting in Accident and Emergency at Hull Royal Infirmary are treated within 12 hours. During the year 2001, there were no 12-hour inappropriate waits in Accident and Emergency at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Smear Tests

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting and for how long for smear test results in Hull and East Riding.

Jacqui Smith: Information is not available in the form requested. Data on waiting times for smear test results for East Riding health authority in 2000–01 are shown in the table. In about 1 per cent. of cases the information was not available.
	
		
			 Time from receipt of smear to authorisation of report Percentage of reports 
		
		
			 Up to 4 weeks 82 
			 More than 4 weeks up to 6 weeks 13 
			 More than 6 weeks up to 8 weeks 4 
			 Over 8 weeks 1 
		
	
	Sources:
	KC53 part E
	Statistics Division 2B

Departmental Website

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of his Department's website was in real terms in each of the last four years; and how many hits it received in each of those years.

Hazel Blears: The cost of the Department of Health's website is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			 Financial year Hosting and maintenance Website development Estimated staff costs Total costs 
		
		
			 1998–99 29.4 20 178.9 228.3 
			 1999–00 62.8 30 229.4 322.2 
			 2000–01 57.8 130.7 277.1 465.6 
			 2001–02(35) 69.6 (36)245.9 339.7 655.2 
		
	
	(35) To 1 February 2002.
	(36) This figure includes £532,000 spent on user research.
	The Department uses page impressions rather than hits as a measure of usage. The figures for the last four years are as follows:
	
		
			 Calendar year Page impressions 
		
		
			 1998 4,533,775 
			 1999 16,485,398 
			 2000 37,504,218 
			 2001 48,337,144

Union Duties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: The Department, including its agencies, has 10 accredited full-time union representatives (100 per cent. of their duties) who may receive paid leave to undertake union activities.
	In addition to facility time, a reasonable amount of paid time off for accredited representatives, to enable them to carry out trade union activities, may be given within a limit of 15 days per annum. An additional 10 days may be given to those elected or appointed to national union bodies such as group and national executive committees.
	As all annual leave taken by staff is recorded and checked locally by business areas within the Department, there is no centrally held information available on the cost of paid leave taken by accredited representatives for trade union activities.
	The Department does not hold any details of union duties undertaken by non-departmental public bodies staff.

Industrial Action

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: There have been no days lost owing to industrial action by staff in the Department or its agencies in the last four years.
	The Department does not hold any details of union activities undertaken by non-departmental public bodies staff.

Medicines

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what levels of access there are to medicines (a) over- the-counter and (b) through the NHS itself.

Hazel Blears: There are two levels of access to over the counter medicines. General sale list medicines are available from a range of retail outlets. Pharmacy medicines are available from pharmacies. As part of national health service arrangements medicines may be administered or supplied by a range of professional staff or prescribed by doctors, dentists and some nurses. Depending on the circumstances, prescribed medicines can be dispensed by hospital or community pharmacies or by dispensing doctors. There are restrictions on the types of medicines which most professional staff may administer, supply or prescribe, some of which arise from legislation under the Medicines Act, and some of which are specific to the NHS.

Medicines

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that a change to the procedures for the reclassification of medicines from prescription-only to pharmacy sale will not remove availability by way of the NHS medicines reclassified for over-the-counter availability.

Hazel Blears: The NHS Plan committed the Government to making more medicines available over the counter and therefore giving people a greater choice in their treatment and empowering patients to manage their care with the help of skilled health care staff. However, before a medicine is made more widely available, it is assessed against strict criteria relating to its safety in the circumstances in which it will be used. The policy is to improve access to a range of medicines without affecting their availability on the national health service, unless there are existing restrictions on NHS availability.

Cruse Bereavement Care

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met representatives of Cruse Bereavement Care; what financial assistance he is providing for Cruse Bereavement Care; what assessment he has made of the contribution Cruse makes to reducing long-term mental health problems; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met with representatives from Cruse Bereavement Care on 2 June 2000. On 12 February 2002 civil servants from the Department met with the new chief executive of Cruse to discuss the work of Cruse and its role in the delivery of modern mental health services.
	The Department has provided Cruse Bereavement Care with funding over a number of years under the Section 64 General Scheme under the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. Details of current projects and funding are:
	
		
			£ 
		
		
			 Quality Care in Bereavement (37)180,000  
			 Bereavement Care—Improving Access (38)176,000  
			 Promoting Bereavement Awareness (39)90,000  
		
	
	(37) Over 3 years from 1999
	(38) Over 3 years from 2000
	(39) Over 3 years from 2001
	We recognise that to deliver a modern, dependable health and social care service, the voluntary sector has a crucial role to play in helping service users cope with their mental health problems and we appreciate and value the very good work being done by voluntary organisations such as Cruse.

Dentistry

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists, broken down by health authority, have taken NHS patients in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) 2001 or the most recent available date.

Hazel Blears: Table 1 shows the number of General Dental Service (GDS) dentists on the dental list in each family health service authority (FHSA) at the end of (a) September 1979 and (b) September 1992.
	In April 1996, FHSA's were replaced by health authorities.
	Table 2 shows the number of GDS dentists on the dental list of each HA at the end of (c) September 1997 and (d) September 2001.
	Dentists working in more than one FHSA or HA are counted only once in their main health authority.
	GDS dentists cover principals and their assistants and vocational dental practitioners.
	
		Table 1: general dental service: number of dentists by family health service authority at 30 September 1979 and 1992, England
		
			 FHSA 1979 1992 
		
		
			 England 12,146 15,411 
			 Avon 309 360 
			 Barking and Havering 90 99 
			 Barnet 143 139 
			 Barnsley 40 62 
			 Bedfordshire 90 140 
			 Berkshire 184 251 
			 Birmingham 257 300 
			 Bolton 53 74 
			 Bradford 115 144 
			 Brent and Harrow 178 192 
			 Bromley 109 123 
			 Buckinghamshire 146 243 
			 Bury 43 55 
			 Calderdale 39 56 
			 Cambridgeshire 118 179 
			 Camden and Islington 185 175 
			 Cheshire 241 331 
			 City and East London 149 175 
			 Cleveland 93 166 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 114 141 
			 Coventry 73 82 
			 Croydon 135 125 
			 Cumbria 111 143 
			 Derbyshire 164 257 
			 Devon 295 366 
			 Doncaster 46 85 
			 Dorset 183 229 
			 Dudley 55 74 
			 Durham 95 142 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 254 259 
			 East Sussex 219 273 
			 Enfield and Haringey 150 168 
			 Essex 319 438 
			 Gateshead 37 64 
			 Gloucestershire 145 204 
			 Greenwich and Bexley 110 150 
			 Hampshire 398 512 
			 Hereford and Worcester 143 207 
			 Hertfordshire 307 381 
			 Hillingdon 69 80 
			 Humberside 132 205 
			 Isle of Wight 30 46 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminister 345 209 
			 Kent 376 495 
			 Kingston and Richmond 114 128 
			 Kirklees 70 116 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 236 268 
			 Lancashire 284 421 
			 Leeds 213 258 
			 Leicestershire 169 238 
			 Lincolnshire 95 123 
			 Liverpool 123 146 
			 Manchester 136 177 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 202 246 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 84 96 
			 Norfolk 154 223 
			 North Tyneside 50 59 
			 North Yorkshire 186 235 
			 Northamptonshire 102 140 
			 Northumberland 56 83 
			 Nottinghamshire 200 272 
			 Oldham 42 69 
			 Oxfordshire 144 191 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 133 147 
			 Rochdale 45 57 
			 Rotherham 46 62 
			 Salford 49 62 
			 Salop 96 123 
			 Sandwell 63 71 
			 Sefton 77 90 
			 Sheffield 131 165 
			 Solihull 42 53 
			 Somerset 123 149 
			 South Tyneside 22 45 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 75 89 
			 Staffordshire 180 237 
			 Stockport 91 107 
			 Suffolk 151 196 
			 Sunderland 47 70 
			 Surrey 380 455 
			 Tameside 46 66 
			 Trafford 62 85 
			 Wakefield 59 87 
			 Walsall 44 59 
			 Warwickshire 99 131 
			 West Sussex 227 283 
			 Wigan 55 85 
			 Wiltshire 117 173 
			 Wirral 89 112 
			 Wolverhampton 50 64 
		
	
	Note:
	Some dentists have contracts in more than one family health service authority. These dentists have been counted only once, in the HA in which they hold their main contract.
	
		Table 2: General dental service: number of dentists by health authority at 30 September 1997 and 2001 England
		
			 Health Authority 1997 2001 
		
		
			 England 16,728 18,354 
			 Avon 397 441 
			 Barking and Havering 109 131 
			 Barnet Enfield and Haringey 340 377 
			 Barnsley 63 66 
			 Bedfordshire 152 189 
			 Berkshire 281 313 
			 Bexley Bromley and Greenwich 273 294 
			 Birmingham 314 320 
			 Bradford 153 144 
			 Brent and Harrow 188 221 
			 Buckinghamshire 262 294 
			 Bury and Rochdale 128 120 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 186 199 
			 Cambridge(39) — 248 
			 Cambridge and Huntingdon(40) 132 — 
			 Camden and Islington 203 225 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 153 178 
			 County Durham 153 167 
			 Coventry 82 94 
			 Croydon 148 151 
			 Doncaster 93 99 
			 Dorset 244 279 
			 Dudley 82 91 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 333 352 
			 East Kent 188 210 
			 East Lancashire 159 165 
			 East London and The City 186 204 
			 East Norfolk(40) 222 — 
			 East Riding 140 155 
			 East Surrey 190 199 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 294 324 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 121 125 
			 Gloucestershire 206 225 
			 Herefordshire 65 74 
			 Hertfordshire 421 512 
			 Hillingdon 91 104 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South-east Hampshire 202 238 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 216 217 
			 Kingston and Richmond 146 159 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 276 272 
			 Leeds 258 284 
			 Leicestershire 263 282 
			 Lincolnshire 135 157 
			 Liverpool 157 154 
			 Manchester 167 171 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 260 298 
			 Morecambe Bay 105 117 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 163 170 
			 Norfolk(41) — 284 
			 North and East Devon 175 204 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 181 206 
			 North Cheshire 89 95 
			 North Cumbria 104 107 
			 North Derbyshire 98 117 
			 North Essex 285 319 
			 North Nottinghamshire 103 120 
			 North Staffordshire 108 126 
			 North West Anglia(41) 111 — 
			 North West Lancashire 162 172 
			 North Yorkshire 267 304 
			 Northamptonshire 159 171 
			 Northumberland 100 101 
			 Nottingham 212 225 
			 Oxfordshire 201 257 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 163 185 
			 Rotherham 67 76 
			 Salford and Trafford 151 158 
			 Sandwell 92 93 
			 Sefton 96 96 
			 Sheffield 189 199 
			 Shropshire 130 143 
			 Solihull 54 68 
			 Somerset 163 176 
			 South and West Devon 216 254 
			 South Cheshire 260 256 
			 South Derbyshire 166 180 
			 South Essex 212 247 
			 South Humber 74 81 
			 South Lancashire 87 97 
			 South Staffordshire 154 178 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 186 200 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 94 104 
			 Stockport 113 119 
			 Suffolk 206 228 
			 Sunderland 77 95 
			 Tees 188 208 
			 Wakefield 90 108 
			 Walsall 57 57 
			 Warwickshire 146 170 
			 West Kent 378 367 
			 West Pennine 147 151 
			 West Surrey 271 307 
			 West Sussex 300 349 
			 Wigan and Bolton 172 182 
			 Wiltshire 190 215 
			 Wirral 135 136 
			 Wolverhampton 69 71 
			 Worcestershire 180 183 
		
	
	(40) Three HAs: Cambridge and Huntingdon, East Norfolk and North-west Anglia were replaced by two HAs: Cambridge and Norfolk in April 2000
	(41)Note: Some dentists have contracts in more than one health authority. These dentists have been counted only once, in the HA in which they hold their main contract

Dentistry

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding streams are available to help set up new NHS dental practices; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: All health authorities have in place dentistry action plans aimed at meeting the Government's dental access pledge. These action plans identify local issues and develop solutions. Over the last two financial years the Government have allocated £10 million from the Dental Care Development Fund and the Dentistry Action Plan Fund to support local plans to improve access. This money enables health authorities to assist dentists seeking to set up new practices and to expand and modernise existing ones. For the future dentistry will be included in the local improvement finance trust scheme. This will provide locally focused support for the establishment of new national health service practice facilities.

Correspondence

James Cran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a substantive reply will be given to Sarah Markham's letter of 28 November 2001, concerning payments to nursing students.

John Hutton: A reply was sent on 21 February.

Correspondence

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham dated 24 August and 21 September 2001 concerning a constituent and enzyme potentiated desensitisation treatment.

Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent on 13 February.

Drug Abuse

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug misusers were receiving treatment by type of service in (a) 2000 and (b) 1997.

Hazel Blears: Information on the number of drug misusers in treatment in England in 2000–01 is given in table 1; comparable information is not available for earlier years. Information on the numbers of drug misusers who presented for treatment for the first time or for the first time after a gap of six months, for both 1997 and 2000 is given in table 2. Both tables exclude treatment in prisons.
	
		Table 1: Numbers of drug misusers in treatment by type of service, 2000–01
		
			 Type of service Number 
		
		
			 England 118,522 
			   
			 Inpatient 2,424 
			 Community: specialist services 103,094 
			 Community: general practitioners 8,180 
			 Structured day programmes 706 
			 Residential rehabilitation 1,902 
			 Others 2,216 
		
	
	Source
	DH, Regional Drug Misuse Databases
	
		Table 2: Number of drug misusers who presented for treatment during the periods 1 April to 30 September 1997 and 1 April to 30 September 2000, by type of service
		
			 Type of service 1 April to 30 September 1997 1 April to 30 September 2000 
		
		
			 England 21,996 33,093 
			
			 Inpatient 455 428 
			 Community: specialist services 18,647 28,624 
			 Community: general practitioners 1,571 1,429 
			 Structured day programmes 11 175 
			 Residential rehabilitation 516 759 
			 Others 795 1,678 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases on drug misusers in treatment in England, 2000–01

Psychiatric Extra-contractual Referrals

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of psychiatric extra-contractual referrals 
	(1)  of offenders since 1997;
	(2)  to the private sector since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Child Poverty

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children between the ages of 10 and 14 are living in persistent poverty in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 1991–92; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available.

Food Poisoning

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have for the introduction of licensing for food businesses.

Yvette Cooper: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there are no current plans to introduce new licensing provisions for food businesses.
	The immediate priority for the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food safety matters, is to improve standards generally among food businesses. It is doing this through initiatives to increase the uptake of food safety management systems designed to enable food businesses to identify and control food hazards and the recently launched campaign to increase hygiene awareness among caterers.
	The Board of the Food Standards Agency has indicated that it will keep the issue of wider licensing under review in the light of progress with these initiatives.

Overseas Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from the West Sussex Health Authority area have received treatment in continental European hospitals under the NHS scheme; where; for what conditions; when he will be able to give the cost; what other establishments in the other country were assessed; what cost comparisons were made; and for what reason the hospital used was selected.

John Hutton: As of 26 February, seven patients had undergone knee replacement surgery in the Lutherhaus Hospital in Essen and the Eduardus Krankenhaus in Cologne under a contract between West Sussex Health authority and Germedic. Of these, four come from the West Sussex Health Authority Area and three from East Sussex. The latter group were all on a waiting list at a trust in West Sussex.
	The costs of these procedures are commercially confidential. They are comparable to the cost of purchasing individual procedures in the United Kingdom private sector.
	These patients have travelled under the auspices of Germedic, a company which facilitates treatment in German hospitals for non-German patients. Germedic proposed the use of these hospitals to West Sussex, who then satisfied themselves that the hospitals were suitable for their patients.
	Patients are travelling to Germany from West Sussex as part of a pilot scheme. Subject to evaluation of the pilot, arrangements will be put in place for securing overseas treatment for National Health Service patients on an ongoing basis. Decisions about the choice of hospital will be based on quality, convenience and choice.

Overseas Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been treated in continental hospitals since 1 January; and through which health authorities.

John Hutton: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Between 1 January and 15 February a total of 50 national health service patients travelled overseas to receive treatment in continental hospitals under the current pilot scheme. Forty two of these patients have come from the East Kent Health Authority area; West Sussex Health Authority has sent seven patients and the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority so far has sent one patient.

Anaesthetic Breathing Systems

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reporting regime exists for incidents where the anaesthetic breathing system is believed to have (a) been blocked and (b) malfunctioned.

Hazel Blears: The Medical Devices Agency (MDA), an executive agency of the Department, currently operates two systems for reporting adverse incidents involving medical devices.
	Incidents involving blocked or malfunctioning breathing system components should be reported to the MDA by health care professionals or the National Health Service through the user reporting system or, if the report comes from a manufacturer, through the agency's vigilance reporting system.
	At the beginning of each year, the MDA publishes advice in the form of a safety notice to health care professionals to encourage them to report adverse incidents and to outline how to do so. MDA's website also provides advice on reporting incidents involving medical equipment, together with reporting forms and an online reporting facility.
	MDA liaison officers have been appointed for each health authority, NHS trust and social services department in England (also for the majority of primary care trusts) with a dual role of raising awareness of the need for incident reporting and secondly to ensure that any safety advice issued by MDA is disseminated within their organisation to those who need to know.
	The mandatory scheme for reporting adverse incidents relating to medical devices, often termed vigilance reporting, is an obligation laid upon all European Member States via the Medical Devices Directives. These Directives have been implemented in United Kingdom law via the Consumer Protection Act which places statutory obligations on manufacturers to report incidents which led to, or could have led to, death or serious injury.

Anaesthetic Breathing Systems

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the police investigation into blockages discovered in anaesthetic breathing systems, as part of Operation Orcadian; and when he expects these will be concluded.

Hazel Blears: After discussion with the Essex police I am able to make the following statement.
	A police investigation commenced with the tragic death of Tony Clowes at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford on 18 July 2001. Further incidents involving blocked anaesthetic breathing equipment components came to light and a linked enquiry was launched headed by Essex Police under the name Orcadian.
	The basis of the enquiry and the linking process was to look for a common factor. As the enquiry progressed a number of other incidents were reported from a number of sources, including patients who felt they may have been involved in an incident in the past. Some manufacturing faults were also reported.
	In many cases the information available is, or was, very scant. There have been difficulties in obtaining accurate accounts and records for incidents that are historic and which may not have been considered significant at the time. Some of the incidents involved date back to the late 1980s.
	During the course of the investigation, experiments were carried out which showed that a blockage could be replicated whilst the items were in storage. This finding changed the focus of the enquiry from 'whom' to 'how'.
	To date no common factor has been found although the enquiry is still ongoing.
	Orcadian has been a joint enquiry involving nine police forces and the close co-operation of the National Health Service, Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Health.
	The Medical Devices Agency (MDA) has assisted the police by providing Orcadian with advice on breathing systems and their use. Since the enquiry began, the MDA has published three Hazard Notices to advise and alert users to related safety issues as they have emerged from the police enquiry.
	It is difficult to predict at this stage when Orcadian will be concluded.

Anaesthetic Breathing Systems

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents relating to the blockage of anaesthetic breathing systems are believed to have occurred within the NHS in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Medical Devices Agency (MDA) report that there are three main ways in which anaesthetic breathing system components can become blocked. These are: manufacturing problems; user error; and possible tampering.
	The MDA adverse incident database holds the following information for each type of blockage over the past three years:
	
		
			  Manufacturing problem User error Possible tampering 
		
		
			 1999 1 1 (42)— 
			 2000 2 1 (42)— 
			 2001 4 9 7 
		
	
	(42) None reported
	The increase in reports for 2001 may be attributed to the publication, by MDA, of three hazard notices raising the awareness of the possibility of blockages, together with the raised profile brought about by media coverage of the police Operation Orcadian.
	Some of the reports relating to possible tampering are historical events that were reported following MDA's action and the police investigation. All seven incidents are subject to ongoing investigation within Operation Orcadian.
	Those reports categorised as manufacturing problems were investigated by MDA and appropriate corrective action has been taken by the manufacturer to reduce the likelihood of re-occurrence. In some cases the product was recalled.

Asylum Seekers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources have been made available for counselling unaccompanied asylum seeking children suspected to be at risk of being victims of trafficking.

Jacqui Smith: No specific resources have been made available for counselling accompanied asylum seeking children suspected to be at risk of being victims of trafficking. However, eligible unaccompanied asylum seeking children will have access to the full range of local services.

Asylum Seekers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places are available in safe houses in the United Kingdom for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children suspected to be at risk of being victims of trafficking.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Asylum Seekers

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into the disappearance of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from social services care for the suspected purpose of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation; and what resources have been made available for this research.

Jacqui Smith: No specific research has been undertaken into the disappearance of unaccompanied asylum seeking children from social services' care for the purposes of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. We are aware that a number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in care in West Sussex have in the past gone missing, and that West Sussex Social Services Department and Sussex police have put in place protocols and procedures to help tackle this problem.

Private Hospitals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) monitoring and (b) evaluation of private hospitals his Department undertakes.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 28 January 2002
	Currently, private hospitals are regulated under the Registered Homes Act 1984 by health authorities, rather than the Department, which carries out no monitoring or evaluation centrally. On 1 April this year, responsibility for regulating private hospitals will be taken over by the National Care Standards Commission under the Care Standards Act 2000. Information collected by the Commission about the services and facilities they inspect will be published.

Dementia

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to commission research into the incidence of dementia.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 11 February 2002
	The Department of Health has a research programme underpinning the National Service Framework for Older People. Dementia will be one of the topics to be considered in the research attached to the NSF underpinning strategy.
	Bids for policy-related research projects will be sought in the near future. The successful projects, and their research findings, will be included on the National Research Register www.doh.gov.uk/research when available.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his written answer of 26 January 2002, Official Report, column 717W, on additional health services, whether the number of (a) early intervention teams and (b) crisis resolution teams are known; and what the figures are.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 February 2002
	A service mapping exercise was completed by Local Implementation Teams (LITs) and submitted on the 31 October 2001.
	Based on the details supplied at that time which are now becoming ready for report following validation and assessment:
	(a) There were 16 early intervention teams in place;
	(b) There were 52 crisis resolution teams in place.
	It is worth noting that these services are undergoing rapid development as part of 2004 NHS Plan target and these figures will rise over the coming months.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 January 2002, Official Report, column 376W, on mental health, if he will provide a breakdown of how the revenue expenditure in 2002–03 and 2003–04 will be spent in respect of (a) crisis resolution, (b) assertive outreach, (c) early intervention, (d) primary care workers and (e) services for women and carers.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 February 2002
	In 2002–03 additional £93.5 million revenue has been allocated to mental health services. £75 million of this will go out with health authority allocations as shown in the table and is earmarked for mental health. Breakdown of allocations is not yet available for 2003–04.
	
		
			   2002–03 
		
		
			 Crisis resolution 30 
			 Assertive outreach 10 
			 Early intervention 15 
			 Gateway to specialist services 10 
			 Women services 0 
			 Carers 10 
			 Primary care workers 0 
			  
			 Total 75 
		
	
	In addition to the health authority allocations, some budgets will be held centrally to support specific schemes. Of this £2.5 million has been allocated to support training projects for primary care workers.
	Although health authority allocations are calculated on the basis above, expenditure data will not be collected for specific areas of mental health. Local investment plans will dictate the proportion of allocation spent in each area and performance against targets set out in local implementation plans will be measured.

Civil Servants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new entrants to the civil service were employed in his Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 and over.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 25 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Cabinet Office on 25 February 2002, Official Report, columns 875–80W.

Delayed Discharges

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a table of delayed discharge times for each hospital trust in England and Wales, grouped by health authority area.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 26 February 2002
	The information is not available centrally in the format requested.
	Information on lengths of delayed discharge at national, regional and health authority level in September 2001 (quarter 2 2001–02) is in the table.
	
		Annexe A: length of delayed discharge—patients of all ages—quarter 2 2001–02 -- National and regional summary
		
			  Total delayed Percentage delays  
			 Area Less than 8 days Between 8–14 days 14–28 days More than 28 days Less than 8 days(41) Between 8–14 days(41) Between 14–28 days(41) Greater than 28 days(41) Percentage HAs included in analysis 
		
		
			 England 1,607 1,268 1,401 2,789 22.7 17.9 19.8 39.5 96.8 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 165 145 164 355 19.9 17.5 19.8 42.8 100.0 
			 Trent 144 95 65 88 36.7 24.2 16.6 22.4 100.0 
			 West Midlands 278 169 202 371 27.3 16.6 19.8 36.4 100.0 
			 North West 164 107 122 214 27.0 17.6 20.1 35.3 93.8 
			 Eastern 108 105 90 332 17.0 16.5 14.2 52.3 85.7 
			 London 136 244 191 406 13.9 25.0 19.5 41.6 92.9 
			 South East 387 242 402 812 21.0 13.1 21.8 44.1 100.0 
			 South West 225 161 165 211 29.5 21.1 21.7 27.7 100.0 
		
	
	
		Health authority summary 
		
			  Total delayed Percentage delays  
			 Health authority Less than 8 days Between 8–14 days 14–28 days More than 28 days Less than 8 days(43) Between 8–14 days(43) Between 14–28 days(43) More than 28 days(43) HA included 
		
		
			 Bradford 11 0 1 0 91.7 0.0 8.3 0.0 Yes 
			 County Durham and Darlington 24 7 13 38 29.3 8.5 15.9 46.3 Yes 
			 East Riding and Hull 4 20 2 1 14.8 74.1 7.4 3.7 Yes 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 1 6 12 23 2.4 14.3 28.6 54.8 Yes 
			 Leeds 11 16 27 92 7.5 11.0 18.5 63.0 Yes 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 45 13 16 17 49.5 14.3 17.6 18.7 Yes 
			 North Cumbria 14 15 29 75 10.5 11.3 21.8 56.4 Yes 
			 Northumberland 2 0 0 0 11.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Yes 
			 Sunderland 10 5 11 28 18.5 9.3 20.4 51.9 Yes 
			 Tees 19 25 28 11 22.9 30.1 33.7 13.3 Yes 
			 Wakefield 17 3 4 10 50.0 8.8 11.8 29.4 Yes 
			 North Yorkshire 9 13 15 55 9.8 14.1 16.3 59.8 Yes 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees -2 22 6 5 -6.5 71.0 19.4 16.1 Yes 
			 Barnsley 2 3 1 0 33.3 50.0 16.7 0.0 Yes 
			 North Derbyshire 3 3 0 0 50.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 Yes 
			 Southern Derbyshire 3 1 0 0 75.0 25.0 0.0 0.0 Yes 
			 Doncaster 2 2 4 9 11.8 11.8 23.5 52.9 Yes 
			 Leicestershire 27 19 8 6 45.0 31.7 13.3 10.0 Yes 
			 Lincolnshire 6 15 11 11 14.0 34.9 25.6 25.6 Yes 
			 North Nottinghamshire 7 11 12 20 14.0 22.0 24.0 40.0 Yes 
			 Nottingham 22 4 3 4 66.7 12.1 9.1 12.1 Yes 
			 Rotherham 9 12 3 17 22.0 29.3 7.3 41.5 Yes 
			 Sheffield 59 16 6 3 70.2 19.0 7.1 3.6 Yes 
			 South Humber 4 9 17 18 8.3 18.8 35.4 37.5 Yes 
			 Birmingham 86 35 52 157 26.1 10.6 15.8 47.6 Yes 
			 Coventry 8 10 6 25 16.3 20.4 12.2 51.0 Yes 
			 Dudley 31 12 13 8 48.4 18.8 20.3 12.5 Yes 
			 Herefordshire 13 2 4 2 61.9 9.5 19.0 9.5 Yes 
			 Sandwell 9 0 8 17 26.5 0.0 23.5 50.0 Yes 
			 Shropshire 4 13 5 4 15.4 50.0 19.2 15.4 Yes 
			 Solihull 10 3 9 21 23.3 7.0 20.9 48.8 Yes 
			 North Staffordshire 17 23 20 26 19.8 26.7 23.3 30.2 Yes 
			 South Staffordshire 2 25 38 49 1.8 21.9 33.3 43.0 Yes 
			 Walsall 10 3 10 19 23.8 7.1 23.8 45.2 Yes 
			 Warwickshire 57 27 14 11 52.3 24.8 12.8 10.1 Yes 
			 Wolverhampton 29 1 1 0 93.5 3.2 3.2 0.0 Yes 
			 Worcestershire 2 15 22 32 2.8 21.1 31.0 45.1 Yes 
			 South Lancashire 8 3 1 1 61.5 23.1 7.7 7.7 Yes 
			 Liverpool 5 22 10 39 6.6 28.9 13.2 51.3 Yes 
			 Manchester 12 0 6 20 31.6 0.0 15.8 52.6 Yes 
			 Morecambe Bay 4 6 17 47 5.4 8.1 23.0 63.5 Yes 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 10 3 9 40 16.1 4.8 14.5 64.5 Yes 
			 Salford and Trafford 27 11 19 13 38.6 15.7 27.1 18.6 Yes 
			 Sefton — 11 5 13 — — — — No 
			 Stockport 0 5 0 4 0.0 55.6 0.0 44.4 Yes 
			 West Pennine 12 5 15 4 33.3 13.9 41.7 11.1 Yes 
			 Bury and Rochdale 5 0 6 2 38.5 0.0 46.2 15.4 Yes 
			 North Cheshire 16 13 18 13 26.7 21.7 30.0 21.7 Yes 
			 South Cheshire 4 2 4 6 25.0 12.5 25.0 37.5 Yes 
			 East Lancashire 10 2 0 4 62.5 12.5 0.0 25.0 Yes 
			 North West Lancashire 37 8 6 1 71.2 15.4 11.5 1.9 Yes 
			 Wigan and Bolton 14 5 2 2 60.9 21.7 8.7 8.7 Yes 
			 Wirral 0 22 9 18 0.0 44.9 18.4 36.7 Yes 
			 Bedfordshire 16 8 14 48 18.6 9.3 16.3 55.8 Yes 
			 North Essex — 25 28 34 — — — — No 
			 South Essex 4 25 32 67 3.1 19.5 25.0 52.3 Yes 
			 Suffolk 61 16 6 106 32.3 8.5 3.2 56.1 Yes 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 11 25 86 6.9 8.4 19.1 65.6 Yes 
			 Norfolk 12 25 7 12 21.4 44.6 12.5 21.4 Yes 
			 Hertfordshire 6 20 6 13 13.3 44.4 13.3 28.9 Yes 
			 Hillingdon 34 6 11 11 54.8 9.7 17.7 17.7 Yes 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 7 9 10 8 20.6 26.5 29.4 23.5 Yes 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 9 24 16 31 11.3 30.0 20.0 38.8 Yes 
			 Croydon 3 8 9 10 10.0 26.7 30.0 33.3 Yes 
			 Kingston and Richmond 7 10 6 49 9.7 13.9 8.3 68.1 Yes 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham -67 72 17 37 -113.6 122.0 28.8 62.7 Yes 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 0 28 32 44 0.0 26.9 30.8 42.3 Yes 
			 Barking and Havering -6 30 24 78 -4.8 23.8 19.0 61.9 Yes 
			 Brent and Harrow 32 6 14 8 53.3 10.0 23.3 13.3 Yes 
			 Camden and Islington 10 12 8 26 17.9 21.4 14.3 46.4 Yes 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 29 9 11 52 28.7 8.9 10.9 51.5 Yes 
			 East London and City 12 11 8 30 19.7 18.0 13.1 49.2 Yes 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 66 19 25 22 50.0 14.4 18.9 16.7 Yes 
			 Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich — 16 24 35 — — — — No 
			 Berkshire 35 7 23 116 19.3 3.9 12.7 64.1 Yes 
			 Buckinghamshire 24 1 25 42 26.1 1.1 27.2 45.7 Yes 
			 East Kent 22 11 6 52 24.2 12.1 6.6 57.1 Yes 
			 West Kent 37 26 18 33 32.5 22.8 15.8 28.9 Yes 
			 East Surrey 9 4 14 24 17.6 7.8 27.5 47.1 Yes 
			 West Surrey 14 29 36 97 8.0 16.5 20.5 55.1 Yes 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 85 25 86 0 43.4 12.8 43.9 0.0 Yes 
			 West Sussex 63 40 52 85 26.3 16.7 21.7 35.4 Yes 
			 Northamptonshire -21 14 26 75 -22.3 14.9 27.7 79.8 Yes 
			 Oxfordshire 11 27 5 14 19.3 47.4 8.8 24.6 Yes 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 41 17 48 119 18.2 7.6 21.3 52.9 Yes 
			 Southampton and SW Hampshire 27 26 36 114 13.3 12.8 17.7 56.2 Yes 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 40 15 27 41 32.5 12.2 22.0 33.3 Yes 
			 Somerset 16 8 12 4 40.0 20.0 30.0 10.0 Yes 
			 South and West Devon 17 6 0 1 70.8 25.0 0.0 4.2 Yes 
			 Wiltshire 18 15 17 37 20.7 17.2 19.5 42.5 Yes 
			 Avon 29 52 48 76 14.1 25.4 23.4 37.1 Yes 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 46 20 11 5 56.1 24.4 13.4 6.1 Yes 
			 Dorset 57 18 9 4 64.8 20.5 10.2 4.5 Yes 
			 North and East Devon 32 27 36 16 28.8 24.3 32.4 14.4 Yes 
			 Gloucestershire 10 15 32 68 8.0 12.0 25.6 54.4 Yes 
		
	
	(43) All ages

Glutaraldehyde

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to stop the use of glutaraldehyde in hospitals in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: There are currently no plans to stop the use of glutaraldehyde in hospitals in England. National Health Service employers are already to give priority to preventing their employees being exposed to glutaraldehyde by inhalation, ingestion or skin contact under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994.

Date Rape Drugs

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued to young women with regards to the dangers of date rape drugs.

Hazel Blears: The Department funds the National Drugs Helpline to provide information, advice and support to anyone concerned about substance misuse. The helpline provides a range of information about date rape drugs, including their effects, risks and referral to local agencies that offer support. This service is free and confidential, and is open 24 hours a day.
	The Department also funds Drugscope, an organisation that provides information on all aspects of drug policies and problems, including information on prevention and safety issues for people who feel that they may be affected by date rape drugs.

Child Protection

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which Minister is responsible for the area child protection committees.

Jacqui Smith: Area child protection committees are inter-agency forums for agreeing how the different services and professional groups should co-operate to safeguard children in their area. They are not statutory bodies, but are accountable for their work to their main constituent agencies. They are therefore not accountable to any Secretary of State. Each local authority with social services responsibility should take lead responsibility for the establishment and effective working of ACPCs. Local authorities are ultimately accountable to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health in respect of their social services functions.

Ambulance Staff (Physical Assaults)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list, by regional ambulance service, the number of days off sick taken by ambulance staff following physical assaults by members of the public while on duty in (a) Q4 2000–01, (b) Q1 2001–02, (c) Q2 2001–02, (d) Q3 2001–02 and in (e) 2000–01, (f) 1999–2000, and (g) 1998–99;
	(2)  if he will list, by regional ambulance service, the number of physical assaults by members of the public against ambulance staff while on duty in (a) Q4 2000–01, (b) Q1 2001–02, (c) Q2 2001–02, (d) Q3 2001–02 and in (e) 2000–01, (f) 1999–2000, and (g) 1998–99.

Hazel Blears: The Department conducted a survey of sickness absence, accidents and violence in national health service trusts in England in 1998–99. The survey found that there were approximately 65,000 violent incidents against NHS trust staff recorded each year. Figures for each individual NHS ambulance trust are shown in the table. A further survey of recorded violent incidents in 2000–01 has been conducted, and the figures are currently being analysed by the Department.
	Information on levels of sickness absence resulting from violence at work is not collected centrally, but may be held at a local level by individual national health service employers. The average sickness absence rate for staff directly employed by NHS ambulance trusts in 1999 was 6.6 per cent.
	
		Violent incidents in ambulance trusts—reported 1998–99
		
			  Region  Trust name Number of violent incidents standardised to a year Rate of incidents per 1,000 staff (WTE) 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire Cleveland Ambulance NHS Trust 15 54 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust (44)— (44)— 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Durham County Ambulance Service NHS Trust 32 100 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Humberside Ambulance Service NHS Trust 23 66 
			 Northern and Yorkshire North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 7 21 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Northumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust 52 70 
			 Northern and Yorkshire West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Services NHS Trust 28 27 
			 Trent Derbyshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 25 57 
			 Trent Leicestershire Ambulance and Paramedic Services NHS Trust 34 79 
			 Trent Lincolnshire Ambulance NHS Trust 56 101 
			 Trent Nottinghamshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 120 221 
			 Trent South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust 57 99 
			 Eastern Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic NHS Trust 22 38 
			 Eastern East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust (44)— (44)— 
			 Eastern Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust 12 16 
			 London London Ambulance Service 464 153 
			 South East Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 26 60 
			 South East Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 96 152 
			 South East Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 0 0 
			 South East Royal Berkshire Ambulance NHS Trust 36 101 
			 South East Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 12 24 
			 South East Sussex Ambulance Services NHS Trust 105 144 
			 South East Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust (44)— (44)— 
			 South West Avon Ambulance Service NHS Trust 30 85 
			 South West Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust 93 290 
			 South West Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (45)— (45)— 
			 South West West Country Ambulance Services NHS Trust 43 47 
			 South West Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (44)— (44)— 
			 West Midlands Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust (45)— (45)— 
			 West Midlands Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 0 0 
			 West Midlands Warwickshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (45)— (45)— 
			 West Midlands West Midlands Ambulance Services NHS Trust 63 60 
			 North West Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 71 71 
			 North West Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 56 88 
			 North West Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust 56 58 
		
	
	(44) Indicates that there were less than five violent incidents, when standardised to a year.
	(45) Indicates that the trust either submitted no data or the data was not comparable with other trusts.
	Notes:
	1. Data reported covered different time periods and have been standardised to an annual equivalent to allow comparison.
	2. The figures represent all violent incidents to any staff in each ambulance trust. No figures are available for only physical assaults or for only ambulance staff on duty.
	3. At the time of this collection national definitions had not yet been published. Definitions and reporting thresholds varied between trusts.
	Source:
	Department of Health's 1998–99 Survey of Sickness Absence, Accidents and Violence in NHS trusts